


The Rose General

by ShineFromTheShadows



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-21 21:32:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8261098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShineFromTheShadows/pseuds/ShineFromTheShadows
Summary: A story that has been in progress since November 2013, updated infrequently. Set in an AU universe, with OC use included. The story starts two years after RWBY volume one, and details are still catching up. A war has started in the world of Remnant as criminals gain the power to manipulate and control the Grimm. This criminal force; known as the Dusk, continue to fight against the hunters of Remnant; leading to a coalition of cities banded together. But, the stakes steadily grow higher for the young hunters, so the question becomes how do they face their fate?





	1. Prologue - A Glimpse

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive the quality of the writing; the story itself has not evolved over the years; but my writing style has thanks to years of study at uni. Due to this; the more recent chapters will read better. 
> 
> Secondly; forgive the current use of the OC teammates for Sun. When the story was started, it was shortly after the end of Volume One; so Neptune and the others in SSSN were yet to be revealed; prompting the creation of three OCs in the long lineup of original characters created for this story to fill their roles. This story draws heavily on OCs to flesh out the character roster, so I invite people who enjoy the story and want to see their OCs involved to send in ideas; I can always use more. 
> 
> This story does get violent in places, and does have sexual themes. If there is enough interest for them, specific filler scenes could be written for the story in my modern style as one-shot side chapters; which could flesh out elements of the story in a World of Remnant-style read... or a Fifty Shades of Grimm style.
> 
> Again, I love all reader feedback and try to reply rapidly; so please... enjoy this piece; and I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't take years to get more chapters to you.

The battle had been raging for ten minutes. Twelve huntsmen and huntresses engaged in combat with the beasts of Grimm. And flickers of each were visible amongst the beasts, weapons flying around in practiced patterns.

A girl with a sniper-scythe, the youngest of the twelve, spun through the middle of a Beowulf pack, the recoil from each shot propelling her faster and faster as she let the blade cleave through them, one by one. Suddenly, she stopped shooting. A runic mark formed at her feet, and she flew into the air towards the thickest part of the action.

“Thanks Weiss!” she cheered. The white-haired girl didn’t respond; too busy fending off a Boarbatusk with her rapier to even acknowledge her teammate as she began to spin again.

Shotgun shells and sonic flashes rang from a corner of the battlefield as a blonde launched punch after punch from shotgun gauntlets into the chest of an Ursa, the beast barely slowing with each punch that she threw.

A black-haired young woman catapulted herself over the beast, her sword easily cleaving into the back of the beast’s neck as she hit the trigger. The gunblade retorted, and the beast collapsed to the ground, the head sliding further forward than it should. The two women exchanged a nod, and moved on.

Two men fought back-to-back against a Taijitu, one fending off the black half with his sword and shield, the other simply ducking, dodging and blocking with Aura against the white half.   
“Nora, NOW!” He heard a brief burst of giggling, and a grinning young redhead burst from behind the beast and slammed her hammer into the joining quarter.  Both halves recoiled in pain and that single moment was enough for both men to strike. The swordsman swung his blade through the neck of the black half, while the other man leapt into the air and unleashed a storm of bullets into the head of the white. Both sides collapsed at once. Jaune smiled faintly.   
“Nicely done, you two. Now, let’s help Pyrrha.” A sharp laugh caught the trio out.   
“Help me with what?” Behind her, a trio of small Boarbatusk lay dead, each with a single hole directly under the chin. As one, Team JNPR began to move back towards the other groups in the fight.

Barely two minutes after the four teams began to close the beasts in, the Grimm pulled back into the woods. The four present teams met in the centre. Ruby rose, the scythe-girl, grinned at her point in the group. All of seventeen years old, Ruby was still just as slight in figure as she had been at fifteen.

“I think that’s about it. Let’s head back, get a rest.” Of the four members of Team RWBY, Blake was still just as practical, although she no longer hid her Faunus heritage. A few of the others nodded. Ruby sighed.   
“I think we should finish them off.” Of course, that was greeted with groans, and she dropped the point. Instead, she slowly trudged back the short distance to the city with the pack. Blake was in close conversation with Sun Wukong, leader of team Sentinel, and her boyfriend. Yang was annoying the third Faunus there, Noir, by trying to pinch his sunglasses. She had a habit of flirting with him like that, but the cat showed her only patience, no rewards. He was a mysterious one, Ruby reasoned. Jaune hung back, looking towards the Grimm and the woods they were hiding in.

“Getting close to the city,” he murmured.

“And you won’t be.” Jaune froze, but Team CRDN stood in his way. All four members blocked the path back to the others.

“Remember coming here, all those years ago? We had to collect sap, and you covered me in it.” Cardin hid his feelings behind a sly smile, but it was enough to make Jaune nervous.   
“You threatened me. I was being so nice to you, keeping your secret, and you tried to stab me in the back.” The blonde tried to draw his courage and call for help, but his oppressors were faster. Cardin struck, throwing him backwards with a single hit from his mace.

“Not gonna let you call your protector girl. See, you aren’t what you make yourself out to be. You were a lie, who became what you wanted to be.” Jaune started to get back up, but Lark had his pistol readied and pointed at his chest.   
“This time, no easy escape.” A rumbling in the forest heralded trouble, and an Ursa Major burst out of the trees. The noise was enough for the others, and they turned back to see Jaune in trouble.

“Go!” Pyrrha and Ruby seemed to speak with one voice, gesturing for the others to leave as they both turned back to help their friend. Neither knew that the other held Jaune in a higher position than just a friend, but that didn’t matter. Team Cardinal broke, leaving the young man to face the beast, but not before Lark made his move. Two bullets fired in quick succession, just as the swordsman began to face the attacking beast. The first punctured through his left shoulder, the second through the gap under his arm in his torso armor as the man rotated in shock and pain. He stumbled and fell. Both girls froze, stunned.

“Have fun with that.” With the final parting remark, the team vanished into the brush, a path that would doubtlessly carry them away from the city. The girls dashed forwards as a bolt from behind felled the Ursa with a single shot. The sniper dropped his crossbow. He was a member of team Sentinel, but he wasn’t ready for this. All three teams were close, but this was a worst-case scenario. Pyrrha ignored the dead Ursa. Instead, she held Jaune close to her as tears streamed down her face. Ruby turned away, her face unusually dark.   
“I’ll get them.” Before anyone could protest, she was gone, running after the enemy team. Jaune smiled weakly.   
“Heh, looks like I’m still the unlucky one.” Pyrrha opened her mouth to speak, but Jaune went limp in her arms. His breathing slowed, and with one last moment, it stopped. The clearing was silent, then the weeping started.

 

Cardin smirked to his teammates, clearly pleased.   
“Should demoralize ‘em enough for Red and the others to stay off the battlefield for a while. Gives the boss some time free to deal with things. You get the shots off in the right places?”

“One to the shoulder, one into the chest through the arm socket. Either gonna kill him or leave him out of action for long enough to distract.” Lark remained passive, but all of the team had agreed to this. The boss would reward them well.

“Can’t say the same for you.” All four of them froze, and turned to see a red hooded woman approach, scythe in hand. The hood was pulled firmly up over her head, and her face was lowered so they couldn’t see a thing. Cardin snorted.

“Red, you aren’t tough enough to take all four of us. And there’s no way we’re going to surrender, so give up. If you stay there, you might not join joke-boy.” Ruby lifted her head. As he expected, tears were clear on her cheeks, but unusually, the normally happy young girl wasn’t demoralized. Instead her red eyes burned with fury.

“You killed him.” Those three words were all she needed. The sheer pain in her voice was enough to make Dove flinch. “You killed the one I loved. And now, you receive your reward.” Cardin took a step back, but it wasn’t enough.

Ruby lunged.


	2. Prologue - In My Mind

_In my mind, I see myself_

_But not just one of me._

_I see how my actions shape_

_And what I could have been._

_My acts that night, I do admit_

_Were worse than I should fear_

_But to kill Jaune, before my eyes_

_They better hope hell keeps them there._

Ruby’s eyes were the warning point for Cardin, and he barely managed to manoeuvre his mace into the oncoming scythe swing. The sheer fury in them was paralysing, and due to that, Russel couldn’t raise his knives in time to block the rebound swing. Crescent Rose cleanly cleaved through his arms. She rotated the blade with a minor gesture, and hit the trigger. The recoil sent the blade catapulting towards her, cleanly splitting the thug in two. As he dropped, he managed to arm both knives, and as they hit the ground, each one launched forward with micro-rocket thrust. In a flash of rose-petals, Ruby was no longer in the way, and Dove instead was pelted with the one-two combo of exploding knives, leaving him dazed and bleeding. Of course, thanks to that, he never had a chance to even flinch as the scythe impaled him through the crotch. Almost casually, Ruby spun the giant weapon over her head, and the body flew into the jungle, food for the Grimm. Cardin exchanged a nod with Lark, and the two attacked together. Cardin went low, his mace in hand ready to crush a femur. Likewise, Lark went higher, aiming for Ruby’s slight chest. Neither of them found success as Ruby seemed to teleport into the air. She fired the sniper-scythe, busting Cardin’s hand clean open with the bullet and forcing him to drop his mace. Lark was even less lucky, as the young woman pinned him to the ground with the flat head of the scythe against his chest and jammed her small foot down onto his crotch.  
“You shot him. Time to join your friends in hell.” She raised the scythe, but instead of swinging, she spun. The blade cleaved through him twice – once at the knees, then again at the neck. She growled and left the body to bleed as she spun on Cardin.

“Now, to kill the main traitor of the lot,” she spat. Crescent Rose arced up, and began to swing down towards his heart, but Cardin acted first. He raised the rocket-knife he’d stolen from Russel’s body, and hit the trigger. The mini-rocket launched and stabbed Ruby clean in the gut – a wound that was clearly not going to be fatal, but was defiantly painful as the rocket exploded, driving the metal deeper into her flank and scarring the area around it with burns. Of course, even that impact couldn’t stop the cold steel of her scythe, which simply dropped and stabbed him through the chest. Ruby doubled over, clearly badly hurt, but as the life faded from Cardin’s eyes, he saw a sight that would leave his final moments in confusion – a young woman whose face was halfway between satisfaction and horror.

Ruby looked at the devastation around her, and simply froze up. Three bodies lay around her, each one dead or dying, and the blood was everywhere. It covered her. The stench of blood and gunpowder was everywhere. The blade on her scythe, as much as it would normally be clean and the bodies left as flower petals, dripped with the blood of the dead. A sob burst from her throat. She hadn’t just killed them, she’d massacred them. She started to straighten at the waist, even with the shooting pain from the knife in her gut, but a gasp left her frozen. Nora stood there, just staring.

“OhmygodRubyjustkilledthemall!” Nora was always energetic, but this wasn’t just a burst of energy. It was infused with her horror. Ren was right behind her, and his silence spoke volumes. It wasn’t accepting. It was furious and betrayed. Then, the two members of Jaune’s team stepped to the side, and Ruby found herself underneath the withering gaze of her sister.

“You… you think you can do things like this and it’s all good?” Yang’s face wasn’t holding anything back. Her eyes were red, and her expression could have melted plate steel. Even without the flames that surrounded her body. “You killed them. Murdered them. They could have given us information, and faced justice for what they did. But no, Ruby knows best, because they killed someone close to her.” Yang turned away, and her final words were barely more than a whisper. “I can’t believe I’m related to you.”

Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but Weiss and Blake’s appearance next to Yang silenced her.

“Enough of this nonsense. It’s clear that Ruby isn’t in control of herself, and has no place with a weapon like… that.” Weiss gestured to Crescent Rose, the blade still imbedded in Cardin’s chest. “I say we take it from her, and leave her to face the Grimm alone.”

“Yes.” Pyrrha forced Blake to one side, and pulled the scythe from the corpse with a sickening squelch. “I will remember today as the day I lost two friends. One was killed. The other became the very thing she hunted – a monster.” The giant scythe didn’t seem right in the woman’s hands, but when Pyrrha handed it to Sun, it seemed complete. All of her friends felt she didn’t belong. They were turning their backs on her. Revenge had led her to become what they hated. She watched as they walked away, but Ruby’s voice failed her again. Instead, two ethereal figures floated up to her. Bodies glowing white and passing through the trees. Ruby felt her heart leap.

“Summer? Jaune?” her voice was faint and gravelly, like she’d been screaming for hours. In a way, she guessed, she had. But, when she saw Jaune’s face, she knew it wasn’t good. He was furious.

“I died, and this is what you decide is good to keep my memory alive? Killing the people that got me?” he spat, although she couldn’t see anything. “Ruby, no matter what you think, if I knew you were going to do something stupid like this, I would never have become your friend. I would never return your feelings. And what the hell were you doing, falling for me? Did you want to ruin your friendship with me? With Pyrrha? Your emotions could have single-handedly ruined everything!” His expression shifted from fury to regret. “Oh, wait. You just did.”

Even the spirit of Summer Rose, the woman from the altar, wasn’t playing nice. “You think that you are worthy of the name Rose? Thorn is more appropriate. You aren’t even worth the effort to guide any more. I hope you enjoy your rewards, because this is more than you deserve.” Both of the sprits faded, and Ruby could hear the faint whispering between Jaune and the elder spirit, speaking how she was ‘so promising’, and how perhaps the ‘next Rose’ will be better. Then, it hit her.

She was alone. Silently, she raised her hands to her eyes to cry, but they hit something hard, like bone. Desperate, she grasped one of Russel’s knives, and studied her reflection.

There, across her petite face, was the mask of the Grimm.

 * * *

Ruby sat bolt upright in bed, panicked. Sweat caked the clothes to her skin, and when she looked, these weren’t her pyjamas. Hell, this wasn’t her bed.   It was a hospital room, and she was wearing what looked like a white nightie. One of Weiss’s? She couldn’t tell. Yang sat on the chair next to her, and jumped at the surprise of the redhead’s sudden awakening.

“Ruby!” The older girl dived for her sister, but the smaller one slipped from her grasp.

“What happened?” Ruby’s face was confused, and Yang’s face fell.

“Oh, you don’t remember. You got hurt. Badly. Ursa hit you across the head, knocked you out. Wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for Jaune, and he got pretty badly hurt protecting you. Apparently, he caught a stray bullet from one of Cardin’s team members just before you were hit…” Yang found herself cut off by Ruby’s sudden disappearance. One second, the redhead was there. The next, she was gone.

Within seconds, Ruby was at the nurse’s station, and without waiting to see anyone, snuck a glance over the desktop. A room number - 132, marked to the name ‘Jaune Arc’. She could hear Yang start to come after her, but Ruby didn’t care. Instead, she followed the numbers, and found herself outside room 132. She could see, without much effort, a person sitting at the chair by the bed, but without holding back, she burst in and overbalanced, falling flat on her face.

“Ruby! Are you ok?” Pyrrha stood from the chair and helped the young girl back onto her feet. Jaune, sitting awake in the bed, smiled at her.

“Good to see you’re ok. You gave us all a scare.” Ruby was frozen in surprise. Jaune had been shot, just like in her dream. But he wasn’t dying. He wasn’t badly wounded. There were bandages wrapped around his shoulder and torso, but other than that, he seemed fine.

“You…you were shot…” Jaune shrugged it off.

“My aura mostly protected me, and it was an accident. I was between him and the Ursa, he apologized.  No big deal. Well, aside for having to get a bullet out of my lung. Not gonna be fighting for a few months, but I’ll be up and ready for action again before long.” Without explanation, Jaune was blushing. Was it modesty? Embarrassment?   Ruby stood there, confused. Finally, Pyrrha broke the tension.

“Um, Ruby? Why aren’t you dressed?” The young girl looked down. The nightie she had been wearing was partially see-through thanks to the sweat sticking it to her skin, and clearly meant to be worn under a hospital gown. Not one of Weiss’s at all. Here she was, giving the boy she liked and one of his friends a full view of her body. So, she did the only thing she could.

She fainted.


	3. Shame

_…Why?_

_All I can ask._

_Nobody replies._

Ruby opened her eyes again only to find herself back in bed, a smirking Yang by her side.

“Tried to warn you, sis.” The girl blushed and buried herself in the doona.

“No, you didn’t.” Yang shrugged at the muffled words, still smiling.

“Would have. Course, you flashed out of here before I got a chance. And then showed Jaune and Pyrrha everything.” Ruby groaned and squirmed deeper into her bed. “Not that it’s much, mind. Pyrrha would see more than that in a mirror.”

“YANG!” Ruby’s face burned, and the laughter from the chair beside her bed wasn’t exactly helpful. 

“What, sis? So it’s the first time a boy’s seen your body. So what? I’m telling you, just a few more years, and I’m sure you’ll be comfortable enough to do that for someone without being embarrassed.” Yang kicked her feet up, and swung the chair back so the top rested against the wall behind her. A stupid, risky pose, but one that she found comfortable in.  
“The first time I was with a boy…”  
“I DON’T WANT TO HEAR THIS!” Ruby grasped the pillow and yanked it down over her head. Yang’s laughter slowly petered out. She looked at her sister’s shape under the covers, and smiled faintly. Over the years, nothing had changed. Ruby was so strong in combat, and yet put her in an awkward situation and she’d always manage to embarrass herself.

“Is nof fair.” Muffled talking from beneath the pillow caught Yang’s attention. With a sharp grasp, she yanked the pillow from her sister.

“What’s not fair, Ruby?” The girl’s blush was just as bright as before, so she pulled her head under the covers. Then, it hit the blonde. Ruby wasn’t normally quite this shy and easily embarrassed, so she set the bait.  
“Cookie for your thoughts?” Instantly, the younger girl emerged from the sheets, although she kept the doona over her body for modesty. She was still blushing, but the sparkle was back in her eye.

“Cookie first?” Yang rolled her eyes.

“Cookie after you tell me what’s gotten into you. Then I go bring you back some clothes, and cookies. Sound good?” Ruby nodded, although she pouted at the idea of waiting for cookies. She pulled the doona tighter around herself, and shifted her weight around uncomfortably. Finally, it blurted out in a pulse of nervous energy.

“I’mjealousofPyrrhabecauseshehasarelationshipwithJauneandI’mleftonmyownandI’mgoingtobealoneforeverandnowhe’sseenmenakedit’sjustnotfairthatthey’resocutetogethersowhymustthishappentome…”

“Breathe, Ruby, breathe.”  The blonde pursed her lips. She wasn’t quite sure what else to say, really. Ruby was letting it out, but now that she had, how could they deal with this? Ruby gasped, her mouth almost wide enough for a packet of cookies, but she shut it pretty quickly and the last part of her tirade slipped out in a mumble.

“I’m just not meant to have relationships.” For Yang, her closest family, it was a heartbreaking comment to face. Ruby had never looked so depressed, and it was getting to her. Finally, with a sigh, she swung forwards, letting the chair rest all four legs on the ground, then flopped onto the bed next to her sister, prompting a squeak from the smaller girl.

“Now, listen to me, Ruby…”

“Yang…” The blonde shushed her sister, and continued.

“I’m not one to talk, I’m in the same boat. The boys I’ve liked haven’t been right for me. Like Noir, or Gavino. Not that I’ve met Gavino.”

“Yang…”

“I promise you, we will both find wonderful boys, and have beautiful babies, and then take care of each other’s kids when we’re on missions. But, it’s the middle of a war. So, put Jaune and Pyrrha out of your mind, and remember that.”

“Yang… you’re squishing me.” With a giggle, the older girl swung herself off the bed. She grinned at her sister.

“Clothes and cookies, coming right up. And, I’ll bring the milk. Even if it won’t make your chest grow.” Ruby’s smile, even with the embarrassed look on her face, was just what the blonde needed to see.

“Thanks, Yang. For all of this.” Yang just smiled and left Ruby to thinking in bed, pondering her sister’s advice.

 * * *

“So, that actually happened.” Jaune ran his hands through his hair, his face clearly puzzled, as it had been for the past hour. Pyrrha sighed.

“Yes, Jaune. You got a naked visitor who passed out on the floor. Can we please stop going over this?” While patient, she didn’t seem comfortable, and he blinked.

“Sorry. It’s just, I never thought Ruby would do that. It seems, I don’t know…”

“Impulsive?”

“…Not thought-out.” Jaune sighed. “ I don’t even know why that happened, Pyrrha. What would possess Ruby to come see me, without checking what she was wearing?”

“Can we please stop talking about this?” She wrapped her left hand around his right through the railing. “You know I care about you, but this… I don’t know what to say. It was clear she didn’t realize, and she was worried about you.” She squeezed his hand slightly, and he blushed.

“Yeah, I know. I’m lucky to have such good friends.” Pyrrha laughed faintly, and leaned over to plant a kiss on his cheek.

“Ruby’s probably devastated after that. I’ll visit her a little later, see if we can come to an understanding.” Jaune nodded. He shifted a little further to the right of the bed.

“It’s probably more comfortable for you if there isn’t a bar in the way.” She smiled and let his hand go.

“I think you’re right, Jaune.”  She reached to her sides, and released the straps on her leather breastplate, leaving her top-half clad in nothing more than a pale red strapless top, and clambered onto the bed to rest against him. As she let her head rest against his left shoulder, he smiled slightly.

“Y’know, I never thought I’d end up like this.” Pyrrha smiled, but it was clear she wasn’t going to play nice.

“In hospital with a bullet hole in your lung?” He snorted, although that was enough to make him wince in pain.

“No. Well, yes, I didn’t expect that, but I meant I never thought I’d end up able to lie around with a beautiful girl at my side.” Her laugh was all he needed to hear, and the burning sensation on his cheeks only got worse as she kissed him on the cheek.

“I never thought I’d find someone like you, either.” Pyrrha grew closer, and gave Jaune a second kiss as she snuggled into him, this time on the lips. Their eyes slid shut, and then they were lost in each other’s affection. For a moment that felt an eternity to the injured swordsman, they stayed that way, kissing on the hospital bed, not caring what the nurses would say.

“Who. Wants. PANCAKES!” The voice was almost singing with excitement, and was loud enough to make the couple jump. Jaune drew the pointy end of that issue, with Pyrrha’s added weight stressing his injured flank, the air in his lungs bursting out in surprise.

“Nora!” Pyrrha found herself staring directly into the redhead’s face, barely an inch away.

“You know, Nora, there is such a thing as an ‘inside voice’.” Like always, Ren wasn’t too far behind the hyperactive grenadier, although this time he carried a pair of silver trays, each with a steaming hot stack of pancakes. Nora slid back far enough to slide the swinging table in front of the couple, and Ren sat one of the trays down in front of them. The stack of pancakes was surrounded by countless toppings, although the small bowl of purple sap had clearly already been attacked. Nora was already eyeing off the second tray in Ren’s hands, even before he found a table to place it on.

“We thought that a meal as a team would be good, after all that’s happened.” Ren took his time in explaining as he kept Nora at bay with a single hand on her forehead. She struggled, strained, and even resorted to licking his palm, but Ren kept her back with ease.  
“You’re no fun today, Ren,” she whined, but he simply snorted.

 “We’ll eat in a second, Nora.”  Pyrrha nodded, and reached for the small bowl of ice-cream sitting there. Within moments, the group was eating. Every now and then, Ren would glare at Nora as she demolished their stack of pancakes, as well as every topping the pair was sharing. Still, he wasn’t bothered as he pulled a sandwich from a hidden pocket, clearly prepared for that.  Jaune and Pyrrha took their time, with the couple savouring the treat, although both of them had to fend Nora off on a number of occasions.  Finally, as the group slowed down their meal, and left Nora to polish off any scraps she saw fit, Pyrrha let it slip.

“Ruby came in here today.” The moment the words left her mouth, her face was the same red as her top. Jaune stared at her, stunned. How the hell did that come out. Nora just looked at them, confused.

“How is she?” Ren prompted. From the look on his face, it was clear he was suspicious.

“She looked good.” Jaune provided. Pyrrha immediately began to shake her head, and afraid he’d said the wrong thing, he continued. “Not a mark on her, I mean.”

Obviously not the right thing to say. Pyrrha’s face darkened even further, and it was clear that Jaune was embarrassed by the stupid comments he’d made, but it was too late now. The understanding light burst into Nora’s eyes, as she went to the most outrageous theory first.

“Ruby was naked in here? How naked? Just “oh, I’m just wearing my underwear” naked, or “I forgot to wear pants” naked, or more?” Ren’s head flew to face Nora, and Jaune was disturbed to see an almost excited look in the girl’s eye.  Instantly, Jaune began to cough and reach for a glass of water.

“I don’t think she realized, Nora. She was wearing a dress, but you could see right through it.”  Pyrrha took over the explaining role, and Ren’s eyes widened in an instant.

“You mean, Nora’s right?”  Jaune got his coughing under control, and nodded.

“I’m afraid so.” Then, the giggling started. Nora couldn’t hold back, and within a few moments, she was on her back, bursting with peals of high-pitched laughter.  
“I can’t…believe it,” she wheezed. “Ruby Rose… the unintentional nudist.” Ren shook his head.

“I can’t believe it either.” Ren scratched his head. “You’re sure this wasn’t planned?”

“You make Ruby sound like a seductress.” Pyrrha snorted. “No, she fainted when she realized.”

“Um, guys?” Jaune’s voice was barely loud enough for them to hear, so they simply ignored it.

“How don’t you notice that you’re naked?” Pyrrha shot back with a retort of her own.

“She was unconscious for hours! She probably wasn’t even aware of what was around her!”

 “Guys?” Jaune finally managed to bring his voice to the fore. “Where’s Nora gone?” Indeed, her laughter had faded during their exchange. The redhead was gone. And with it, the news that Ruby had been naked in Jaune’s hospital room. With only limited context.

“Oh, no.” Jaune moaned, and dropped his head into his hands. Now the entire school would know. What could possibly go wrong now?


	4. Wake-Up Call

_Maybe it’s too soon to say_

_Just why I feel this way_

_But now I think I have to say_

_Sorry, Yang, I’ve got to go away._

A beeping phone was enough to shake Blake into the land of wakefulness. She looked over her shoulder. Sun hadn’t noticed. His face was still blissfully asleep, although the two were still locked in the embrace they’d fallen asleep in. Sun’s hands were wrapped rather tightly around the cat Faunus. His tail was wound around one of her legs. With a faint smile, she shifted around, gently moving the sleeping monkey’s limbs to free herself. His tail was the hard part – he was always sensitive about other people touching it, and as she unwound it, he stirred.

“Morning already?” he slurred, still more asleep than awake. Blake smiled, and passed a hand over his cheek.

“Go back to sleep, Sun. I’ll be back in a second.” He grunted and rolled over onto his back to give her room to get out of bed, his eyes still shut but his voice sounding more awake as he noticed the phone.

“Fine, but don’t expect me not to hog the blankets when you get back.”  She giggled faintly, and stumbled through the dark room to find a shirt and the ringing phone. Sun might be a lot of things, but one thing he clearly wasn’t was neat. She bit back a curse as her foot collided with the small table in his room, although she had to admit it was more of a small apartment than anything. As she moved, she slid on the first shirt she found – one of Sun’s, which she buttoned as she grasped the phone and opened the door onto the balcony. With a yawn, she answered the phone.

“Hello, Sun?” The voice was deep and smooth with a touch of an accent. “You awake?”

“It’s Blake, and it’s two in the morning, Noir, so you better have a good reason to call.” For a moment, the caller was silent.

“Did I call the wrong Faunus by mistake?”  He sounded perplexed, and in the background, Blake could have sworn she heard a Beowolf howl. She groaned. Sun’s teammate had probably gone for a walk and ended up in the woods somewhere. This wasn’t the time.

“Noir, why call now?” She could picture the other cat wondering how to explain from wherever he was. It wasn’t like Noir to call for help with Grimm; he was a more than capable fighter. Finally, he spoke.

“I’m following someone.” As much as she tried, Blake couldn’t hear anything in his voice that would hint at a joke, and Noir wasn’t the kind for pranks anyway. “Saw her slip from the hospital with a big rifle, then teleported out past the guards. I think. Saw her head out from the school, so I tailed her, have been for the past two hours.” Blake froze. Big gun, something that seemed like teleportation… Ruby.

“Don’t know where she’s headed, but wherever it is, there’s Grimm around.” He paused again, before finishing his thought path.   
“We’re heading north, according to my Scroll. She hasn’t noticed me – after all, human night vision is nothing like ours.”

“So, why call Sun?”

“Because…” the caller seemed tentative.  “I thought I might need help. Not if it came to a fight between us, but if she’s doing something stupid…” Both of them had heard the rumour about the day before, and Blake knew what Noir was hinting at.

“I understand. We can’t come right now, though.” Blake had a point – even if the rumour of the three teams being given vacation time to rest and heal was true, there was a curfew. Sure, Sun could pretty easily bypass it, but not at two in the morning during a night together. She hated to admit it to anyone, but she had exhausted him already.

“Gotcha. She’s still moving, looks like we’re heading towards a forest of some sort. I’ll send you where I am via Scroll in the morning.” He chuckled. “Ok, later in the morning.”

“Try closer to eight, Noir.”

“I’ll try. Night.” With that, the call went dead. She sighed. She and Sun knew his past, and she understood why he was so hard to pin down, but the cat’s actions tonight were kind of ridiculous. Why follow her? Why not just call the guards? She sighed and slipped back into the warmer room. Sun was lying there on the bed, eyes wide open and staring at her.

“Please tell me that wasn’t a mission call. Or the doctors.”

“Your phone, so no. And why would doctors or the Professor call in the middle of the night?” He shrugged.

“Hey, why would anyone want to have someone stick their…”

“I get it, ok.” Blake blushed as she sat on the bed. “It was Noir. Apparently Ruby’s snuck out of Beacon, and he’s tailing her.” Sun yawned.

“And?”

“He thinks she might be doing something stupid.” The monkey shrugged as he moved the covers to one side.

“Could be anything. And I do stupid things all the time, does anyone care about that?” Blake rolled her eyes as she slid the shirt off and lay back down, straight into Sun’s arms.

“I do, but your kind of stupid isn’t as bad as Ruby’s.” He nuzzled her, and his voice slipped into a dreamy tone as he yawned.

“Noir can deal with it for now. He’s a big cat. And then, in the morning, if he still needs help, we can go find them. Now, I think we should both get some more sleep, unless you wanna...” Blake gently elbowed him, although without helping it, she purred as his hands wrapped around her once again.

“Sleep it is then.” Within moments, the only noises escaping from his mouth were faint snores. Slowly, Blake let herself drift off to dreamland; although one more though was hovering around her mind.

What the hell was Ruby doing?

 *    *    *

Noir growled faintly, as he looked at the three Beowolves that had moved between his position and Ruby, who was making a rather obvious track into the woods. He had to admit, he was certainly dressed for night operations, in his dark blue and black clothes of choice, not to mention dark hair. Much better for sneaking around in than, say, a bright red cape. But, Ruby clearly knew the terrain far better than he did, and she’d slipped into the forest before he’d noticed she’d vanished. Probably through use of her semblance again. That damn speed boost had given him a headache in tracking her. If he was going to keep following her, he was going to have to take out all three Beowolves without Ruby hearing. This wasn’t the job of the small-calibre guns in his bracers, clearly. His hands grasped the hilts strapped to his waist, and with a flick of his wrists, his two falchion swung into the dark light. Each one of the black-tinted blades glittered with fancy metallic markings. The sword on his right bore a cobalt blue lightning pattern, while on the left-hand blade; a blood-red wave ran down just behind the edge. He grinned. Silent killing it was.

The first Beowolf noticed a faint trace of movement, but the scent in the air of Faunus was overpowering. It froze and drew itself to full height on both legs, and growled. The other two had noticed as well, and they fanned out like a professional military group. Without a noise, the first one dropped, silent. The blood instantly overpowered the other odours, and the surviving Beowolves noticed a dark shape standing over their fallen member. With a growl, they attacked, but there was no match. The Faunus was swift and smart, and his blades danced in intricate patterns as he darted through the middle of the two beasts. At first, it seemed pointless for him to be behind them, and his attack unsuccessful. But, as the beasts turned to confront the assailant, they both collapsed. Noir looked back at his handiwork. The first had been too easy, stabbed through the back. The other two, likewise. If anyone looked carefully, the wolves would look unconscious or like they died of disease. Only if they were looking carefully would they see the two, razor thin lines of blood where he’d sliced open the beasts, stripping them of the nerves required to stand, and within minutes, breath. He never prided himself on the “cut things to ribbons” ideals that most Hunters liked, and instead preferred a much more surgical, faster approach to slaying. Plus, he reasoned, less cleaning. All he’d have to do in that respect was wipe the blood from Raikiri, his right-hand blade. After all, stabbing was a rather dirty method to kill.

He sheathed Amelia, the red-lined blade, and slid a rag from a jacket pocket to wipe down Raikiri as he followed the girl’s trail once again. The ground was soft and pliable, and her footprints had left a clear trail in the soil and snow, easily visible to the perceptive vision of the Faunus. Finally, he spied her once again. Wrapped in her cloak, she’d created a hollow under a tree using branches and a blanket, and seemed to be asleep. He took care not to wake her, instead putting some of his more feline instincts to the test. He faced a tall, thick tree, and leapt into the lower branches. He tugged the higher branches gently to test their strength. Satisfied with some of the thinner fingers of wood, he clambered further up until Ruby, and the ground beneath him, were both out of sight. The air was cool, and a layer of snow had formed on his chosen seat, but he simply smiled and hunkered down in the branches, his back against the trunk while he sat on a rather massive branch. He checked his phone – an hour and a half had passed since he spoke with Blake. Three and a half until he would call again. Until then, he’d rest, and listen.


	5. The Morning After

_Star light, star bright,_

_There is one I must see tonight._

_I wish away, with all my might_

_That Summer Rose will hear my plight._

The alarm buzzed. Seven in the morning. Weiss was instantly awake. She’d trained her body to sleep for a full eight hours, so she was always awake with the clock’s first chime. And, with that, she started her daily ritual. She stretched her arms broad in the morning sunlight, and could feel the stiffened muscles in her back from sleeping with tight posture fade. Of course, her night hadn’t been dream free, but for some reason, the only thing she could recall from her dream was a colour. Pink. She shrugged out the last of her tension, and started to collect up her hair for her pigtail. Her silk nightie was cool against her skin, and she snorted at the idea that Ruby could have mistaken a light hospital dress for a piece of her designer wardrobe. There was no way the girl was that stupid.

She paused just long enough to grab her bathrobe off the end of her bed. A fluffy, monogrammed affair, which was white. Of course. She left the room for the communal kitchen, the one shared by the three teams in this wing of the dormitories – teams RWBY, SNTL and JNPR. With so many hunters out on duty, those assigned to Beacon basically had a room to themselves, and Weiss adored it. No more sharing with the loudmouth who took hours in the bathroom. The silent cat with her massive bookcases of questionable material. And, above all, the hyperactive girl with an addiction to cookies. No, Weiss could go to sleep whenever she wanted, wake up when she wanted, and do whatever she wanted. Even if she spent the day with her teammates, she still had control over her room, the way it should be.

The kitchen was quiet at this time of day, not that it surprised the heiress. Blake would come out whenever Sun did, considering she rarely stayed in her own room, while Yang… well, she typically slept late, because she had a quite unfortunate habit of picking fights with unsavoury groups. No, early mornings were Weiss’s favourite time at the moment, because the cream walls and quiet room reminded her of home, back before she came to this school. She opened one cupboard to grab a bowl, then a drawer for a spoon. Then, there was the thing she was looking forward to above all – her cereal. Her precious mix, made for her especially by her family’s chef, and sent to her every week via train, alongside the dust shipments. Even with a war on, her cereal would always be there. With it and a mug of fresh tea, she could begin the day properly, unlike those years following Ruby’s commands. She opened the door to the cabinet where she’d placed it. Peeked within.

Her cereal wasn’t there.

Instead, there was a box of Marshmallow Flakes. Surprised, she stared at the junk for a few moments, questioning what that was doing where her cereal belonged. She pushed it to the side, but all that sat behind the box of sugary garbage was pancake mix.

Weiss wanted to cry. The most important meal of the day, and if she couldn’t find her cereal, then there was only the unhealthy crap Ruby and Jaune adored, or Nora’s pancake mix. Maybe, if she was lucky, there’d be fruit, which was still not what she wanted. And so, forgetting her morning traditions and her regal manner, Weiss began to tear into the cupboards, hunting for her cereal. Someone had to have moved it. But that wasn’t right, because the tub had arrived only the night before. She tried the cupboard beneath the sink, but there was only dishwashing liquid. The fridge yielded two half-drunk bottles of milk, a small plastic container filled with chocolates, Langford’s not-so-well-hidden alcohol supply, and for reasons Weiss didn’t really want to know, one of Nora’s grenade canisters. Under the stove? Cooking appliances. Above the microwave? Cookbooks. The middle of the table? A bowl of fruit, sporting a rather big bunch of bananas, the one fruit Weiss refused to eat. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the taste, as she liked banana bread and other foods with the fruit within. No, it was the way it had to be eaten. It wasn’t…proper. Clearly, her cereal wasn’t in the kitchen.

“Weiss, have you seen Ruby?” Yang asked as she walked in, fully dressed for the day. 

“Have you seen my cereal?” Ruby was the last thing she wanted to think about. What she wanted to be thinking about was how nice the quiet mornings were. Yang’s face was blank as she processed this question. Her voice was softer than normal, and a lot more concerned.

“She wasn’t in the hospital this morning, and when I just looked, her bed hadn’t been slept in, plus Crescent Rose was missing.”

“Really? Maybe when you find her, you could ask why she moved my breakfast!” Weiss could feel her cheeks burn, but passed it off as anger. Yang blinked, stunned, but that didn’t last. Around her, flames flickered into existence, and her eyes shifted from lilac to red. 

“Weiss, can you just listen for a second? Ruby isn’t here, and I can’t find her! I don’t even think she’s on the school grounds! Can you just stop talking about your damn cereal and show some concern for your friend?!” Weiss froze in place. Yang’s semblance was intimidating, even without the concern for her sister added in there. With it, she was terrifying.

“What’s with all the shouting?” The flames subsided as the blonde looked over her shoulder. Out from every single doorway on the corridor, the other hunters had their gazes locked on the two girls. Weiss was red in the face, and now that everyone was awake so early, her morning was officially ruined.

“Ruby’s missing.” Yang moved around to flop into a chair around the table. She seemed withdrawn, and her voice had dropped back in volume from her shouting fit. “She’s vanished and I don’t know why or where she’s gone.” The others filtered out from their rooms, with Pyrrha ducking into Weiss’s room on her way. Instantly, the heiress stormed down there, furious at the breach of her privacy.

“Look, Yang, I’m sure she can’t be too far away. She made a mistake yesterday, so she’s probably out killing Grimm to get rid of her frustration.”  Tira, the brunette healer from Team SNTL, was the only person willing to speak up at the time, as Ren slid down into his normal spot. The others had formed a line for the kettle. Pyrrha strode back out of Weiss’s room, the heiress following timidly.

“We found her cereal.” There was nothing else she needed to say as all eyes turned to stare at the white-clad girl.

“Sorry, I guess I forgot to bring it out.” Her face was the same colour as Ruby’s cloak, but everyone ignored her as they focused on the more important mystery – where the young girl had vanished to.

“Guys, I have something to say.” Blake lent against the bench as she waited for the kettle to finish boiling. She was a mess, with her nightshirt buttoned wrong and a pair of Sun’s shorts worn in place of her normal pyjama pants, but most of the girls couldn’t help but notice her hair. It was sticking out on the left-hand side of her neck, while was smoothed flat on the right. Her ears were only just barely visible over the tousled mess atop her head, and her fringe seemed to be stuck down by sweat. Sun just didn’t look awake, considering how his eyes were drooping.

“Looks like someone didn’t sleep very well.” Yang pointed out. “What, were you two too busy to sleep?” Blake’s glare was enough.

“I’m sorry, but being woken by a phone call at two in the morning, then again by a shouting match barely a few hours later really eats into your time to sleep. Can I please just speak?” she growled.

“OH. MY. GOD! You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” As soon as the words left Nora’s mouth, everyone was still and staring. Whispers flickered between Tira, Pyrrha and Yang, while the boys were left staring at the two Faunus, stunned. Sun’s face was paler than Weiss’s dressing gown. To contrast, if Blake could ever resemble Yang’s semblance in any way, it was now. Her messy bed hair created the perfect frame for the deathstare she was shooting Nora.  

“No, Nora, I am not.” From her pronunciation, it was almost spitting the words at her.

“Aww… I wanted to be the godmother.” Nora pouted, and the moment was broken as Yang laughed. Blake’s glare softened, although it was clear that she wasn’t happy. Finally, the blonde finished laughing and sat with her elbows against the table, leaning in to hear what was going on.

“So, what was it you wanted to tell us, Blake? Or are you just going to growl at us some more?” The Faunus sighed.

“Noir was the one who called me. Or, he called Sun; I just happened to be the one who got the phone. He saw Ruby sneak out of the school grounds, so he followed her to make sure she was OK. After all, she did…”

“Embarrass herself?” Ren supplied.

“Pretty much.”

“So, Ruby has run away, and Noir is watching her. Does he know where they are, so we can go find out if she is ok?”  Pyrrha questioned. She was the only person who woke up earlier than Weiss, ever since she started running morning training sessions with Jaune. It was that fact that was the main reason why he’d climbed from a klutz to a seasoned swordsman, and with Pyrrha clearly dressed for a workout; she must have been working out in her room when the shouting started.

“From what Blake told me, he was somewhere to the north. Think he was going to send a Scroll-message with his location around eight.” Sun responded as he reached for a third banana. A familiar beeping started inside Yang’s pocket. With a second, it started in Pyrrha’s too. Confused, both girls pulled out their Scrolls.

“Wait, we’ve been put off-duty?” Yang’s retort was enough to send everyone scrambling for their scrolls. Sure enough, a message sat there from coalition command – due to the ‘unforseen circumstances’ of Jaune, Noir and Ruby’s injuries, all three teams had been assigned one month of rest for recovery.

“Wait, Noir was injured? What’s he doing going after Ruby like that? And how was Ruby put on the sick list?” Weiss’s eyes darted from person to person, looking for someone to blame.

“Well, Ruby WAS in hospital, Weiss. And she took a fairly harsh hit to the head,” Tira pointed out as she helped herself to breakfast. “And Noir has his own demons to battle. He’s lucky he can still fight, considering.” Yang stared at the girl, but it was clear she wasn’t going to say any more as she casually bit into an apple.

“Ugh, why now? I had a trip to the Shnee processing plants scheduled, starting tomorrow! And, since Ruby isn’t here, I’m going alone!”

“Not alone, sugar.” The heiress’s eyes widened as she turned to face the smirking, dark-skinned speaker. “It’s going to be like old times, Weiss.” 

“Kill me now.” Langford laughed. Clearly, they both had different memories of their shared childhood. Although, when Lang thought about it, she had always been like this towards him. Blake returned with scroll in hand and smiled at the group.

“Noir just sent in the location, as well. They’re in the Snowy Forest.”

“Wasn’t that the place that a Grimm hoard was heading for?” Pyrrha pointed out. The colour drained from Yang’s face as she put two and two together.

“I know where she is. And, since I’m the only one with transport, looks like I’m on my own.” 

“Actually…” Sun scratched the back of his head, and a sheepish smile burst across his face. Tira’s eyes widened.

“You didn’t… Noir’s gonna kill you.”

“What’d he do now?” Weiss pressed. Sun dashed back to his room, and returned waving a keyring.

“I kinda… helped myself to his motorbike keys.” Considering everyone staring at him, he clarified. “Noir and I have a deal. I help him fix a few things, he loans me the bike from time to time, and the last time he… had issues, he gave me the key until he needed the bike again. And, since it’s a two-seater, I can bring Blake along with us, since she made the deal with him last night.” Yang sighed.

“Fine, but we better get moving. My baby sister is in more trouble than we thought.”

“Half an hour. That’s all we need to get ready.” Blake spun on her heels and headed back to the room the couple shared, with Sun tentatively following behind. Weiss shrugged, and turned back to her room, seemingly disinterested in what happened from here. Pyrrha and Yang walked out of the building, leaving just Nora, Ren and the two from team Sentinel behind.

“What just happened?” Ren asked, while Langford shrugged.

“I dunno.”

“So, pancakes. Anyone interested?” Ren sighed, and turned to find Nora holding the box of pancake mix and a frying pan. He could have sworn he’d hidden it, but too late now. He grabbed the pan from the girl, and looked her in the eye.

“Remember last time you cooked?” She blinked.

“Ren, you can do it.”

 *   *   *

Inside the school garage, Yang manoeuvred Bumblebee towards the exit. She hadn’t known that Noir owned a motorcycle. Not that there was very many in there. Hell, the only bikes in there were a big black and blue sports bike, Russel’s dirt bike and her Bumblebee. Then, it clicked – she’d never seen anyone use the black bike. It had been there since he’d joined Team SNTL, roughly as long as Weiss’s coupe. She’d eyed it up a few times, while getting ready for solo missions or trips with her bike. Now, she’d find out how well this Catria Marauder would keep up with her custom racer. Faint talking caught her ear as she grasped her goggles.

“Look, I’m just saying, is the bike the only reason you wanted leather clothes?”

“Sun…”

Yang snorted as the two walked in. Over a year after first getting together, Sun still could annoy the cat with ease, and while her hidden depths still seemed pretty well hidden, the jokes that the monkey pulled out would paint an entirely different painting of the quiet girl. Something a fair bit less straight-laced and a lot more wild. She made a conscious attempt not to comment, even as the duo walked in. Both wore black leather jackets and had helmets in-hand, and jeans. Yang felt the subtle hints of jealousy for Blake when she noticed the brand. Those were racers jeans. Kevlar-lined in case you came off your motorbike, and reinforced enough to stop a Beowolf’s claws.  Sun eyed off Bumblebee, before he turned his gaze over to Noir’s bike.

“Nice ride. Still, I’m sure Noir’s got the Mad Cat set up to give your custom a run for its money.” She giggled.

“He named his motorbike, a Catria Marauder, the Mad Cat? And he’s a cat Faunus? No imagination.” Blake stood to one side as Sun swung a leg over the bike and got comfortable, but very quickly the sly grin came back.

“Race?” he challenged.   
“No.”  
“Yes.”  Both girls spoke over the top of one another. Blake sighed, overruled by the two riders themselves. Instead, she input the coordinates into Yang’s Scroll as she tightened her helmet-straps. With a few deft finger-flicks, the information climbed onto Yang’s information readout.

“Thanks. I bet I get there first.” Sun pulled on his helmet, and handed his gunchucks to Blake, who slid them into the backpack over her shoulder with Gambol Shroud, amongst other things, before climbing on behind Sun. Her arms wrapped around the monkey, while his tail wrapped itself around her, a novel and cute way to make sure she wasn’t going to come off.

“First one there buys dinner when we get back.” Yang challenged, her helmet shutting over her head. Sun just nodded and closed the visor on his white racing helmet. Both ignited the engines at once, and with a roar, both bikes tore out from the exit to the garage, and headed around to the Northern Highway. Soon, Yang thought, she’d be sure Ruby was safe.

And then she’d give her an earbashing for running away in the first place.


	6. Talking to Shadows

_Mirror, mirror, on the wall_

_How far can I push before I fall._

The Cliffside Alter was a silent, sombre memorial to Summer Rose, a fallen star taken from Vytal too early. To those that saw it, and the stark valley beyond the cliffs on which it sat, it was a mournful reminder of the frailty of life.

For Ruby Rose, it was the place she felt closest to her mother. After all, she was the daughter of Summer. Considering her dream, and the events of the past few days, it was only right that she come here to let them go. She fell to her knees in the snow before the stone, and ran a hand against the monument to her mother’s life.

“Hi, Mum.” It was how she would always start, even before she went to Beacon. “I know, it’s been a while since I last came out here. And I miss you so much.” The teenager sniffled, trying to avoid the inevitable tears as she spoke. “I’ve been having dreams. Nightmares. And I’m afraid they’re coming real. There’s this boy I like, Jaune. A blonde, just like Dad. He…he took a bullet from a teammate to save me. They say it was an accident, but while I was asleep I had this dream, and he wasn’t shot by chance. Four of our so-called friends had plotted his death, and shot him in the same place that he was shot in real life, but then again into his heart. And then I killed them.” Now the tears started to flow, and as Ruby recounted the moments of her dream to the void of the cliff, the terror caused by her dream-self’s actions hit her.

“I cut them to pieces, and I enjoyed it. Avenging him felt good, but the fact that I did it made everyone hate me. Even you.” Her tears were a waterfall against her face, and it just wouldn’t stop. “I wasn’t human any more. I had become a monster. I was a Grimm, with the mask and everything. Then, I woke up in hospital. Yang told me he’d been shot, and I just couldn’t cope with the chance my dream was real. I ran until I found him, and there he was. Alive. He was laughing with his girlfriend, and I just ran in there. Oh, and I was naked.” Ruby couldn’t help herself, and she giggled.

“I guess it’s pretty funny to think about now, but it’s sooo embarrassing, and I don’t know how to face him. He doesn’t even know how I feel, and his girlfriend is awesome. I don’t want to be in the way of them. And now, coming here to see you, all I can remember is that last night we were together. The night you made Yang promise to protect me.” The tears were still streaming down her face, even as Ruby smiled. “It just reminded me how much I miss those times we spent together. You, Yang, and me.”

“Well isn’t that sweet. Looks like the boss was right, Red really does know the dead one at Suicide Peak.” Ruby froze completely still. Four sets of crunching, squelching footsteps behind her, and one of the sickos was laughing. It wasn’t Torchwick, or Cardin. The voice was unfamiliar to her, and yet they used the insulting nickname that the criminal had given her.

“You can stand up, kid, and look at us. You aren’t old enough for us to bother killing you, and the boss would prefer you alive. Something about you being a perfect example to sacrifice.” With a shaky palm, Ruby pushed herself to her feet. As she stood, she made sure one hand was pressed against Crescent Rose, ready for the inevitable fight.

“Don’t… don’t treat me like a kid. I drink milk.” He laughed at her pathetic retort, and she could finally put a face to the obnoxious voice – a dusky-gray haired wolf Faunus, wearing the mask of a White Fang member. He couldn’t wear the traditional hood, though, thanks to his ears protruding, even though his thick hair. Nor was he dressed quite the same as his teammates, clad in a tailored black jacket and slacks. There was a sulphurous yellow crack design along the edge of the jacket, and his laugh was a guttural growl from deep within his throat. 

“Really? Well, it hasn’t done you very much good, short stuff. I’ve seen taller mice, and bustier men. How old are you, twelve?” One of the silent faunus, seemingly a rat by his hairless tail, licked his lips, and she shuddered.

“I’m seventeen, and you aren’t taking me anywhere.” As she made that comment, she pulled Crescent Rose from where it hung at her back, and let it shift into its full scythe form. And yet, while his buddies looked uneasy, the wolf simply smirked.

“Really? You have a scythe? It’s been a while since I got to face off against a majestic weapon like that.” With one hand, he pulled his mask off, and Ruby got the feeling he wasn’t quite as weak as she had first thought. His right eye were a molten orange, the left hidden behind an eyepatch. From the top left to the bottom right of his face, directly over his hidden eye, there was the scar from a rather vicious slash. He noticed her eyes, and laughed.

“Oh, you noticed the little cut. That was from a Huntress we trapped six months ago. Vicious little thing. Seemed to think that her skill meant that she could take on four of us at once. She was wrong. But, even with that, she got lucky. Before she was killed, she managed to get her dagger through my guard and cut my face from temple to cheek.” As the wolf spoke, he paced. His magma eye watched Ruby with the eyes of a predator.   
“Even before I got my esteemed place in the Dusk, I was a killer of man and machine. Back then, they knew me as Crucible. You, shrimp, can call me by my name.  You look upon the face of Cain.” Ruby wasn’t sure what a crucible was, but it was obvious that this man wasn’t going to be easy to beat. She spun her scythe, an attempt to prepare. He growled, and gestured to his trio of thugs.

“Take her down.” Instantly, the rat-man charged her, his weapons obvious on his fists – knuckledusters, with what looked like needles or razors attached to his knuckles. He never even got close. Just as he reached the edge of Crescent Rose’s reach, Ruby flicked the scythe in a forward rising slice, leaving the blade of her scythe to penetrate directly through her assailant’s groin. As he whimpered, not quite dead, she continued the swing over her head, taking him with it, and as the blade pointed towards the cliff, she stopped. Inertia carried the body off the end of Crescent Rose, and the rat sailed off the cliff.

A flicker of movement was the first she knew of the next thug. Sword in hand, he charged at the girl. Crescent Rose swung in an arc, and she caught the blade against the steel of her handle. A burst of her Semblance flicked the girl around the fighter, using the blade to guide her path. Her boot slammed into his chin, and he slammed into the ground. Bullets whizzed past the girl. Her silver eyes flew up to see the final Faunus standing closer to the trees, a semi-automatic in each hand. A flash of rose-petals, and she was above him. He rolled to the side, and took a moment to rise. Ruby followed with a two-handed swing with the back of the scythe. The faunus stumbled into his teammate, and it was a perfect shot. She grinned as she hit the trigger. Both bodies launched off the side of the cliff, leaving Cain alone. To Ruby’s surprise, he didn’t seem bothered at all. Instead, he had a carnivorous  grin across his face.

“Well, the boss didn’t lie. You really are highly skilled. I haven’t looked forward to a fight so much in a long time.” Ruby felt the chill, and she could see the bloodlust in his eye and smile. He reached over his left shoulder, and with a single, smooth motion, pulled a broadsword from its sheath. The weapon had the same yellow markings as his jacket painted onto the steel, although in numerous places the marking were tinted orange by old bloodstains. Ruby’s inner weapons geek noted the thickness of the centre of the blade, and then she spied the tip had what looked like a hinge embedded in it. He noticed her eyes, and the growling laugh started once again as he spun the large weapon in practiced spirals, passing it from hand to hand. As he did, the edges folded inwards, and within moments he held an antique bolt-action rifle, expertly aimed at her chest.

“I see you have an eye for weapons. I made this sword back before I killed my first man, and that, girl, was before you were even capable of lifting that scythe.” The Faunus pressed a button on the stock of the rifle, and it once again unfurled into its sword form. Ruby used that moment to strike. Crescent Rose spun in her hands, and she darted forward. Overhand cut, aimed for his neck, but the wolf dodged it. Right-hand slash, to bisect. He blocked. Suddenly, he was behind her. Her left arm tingled. She peeked. Blood dripped from her arm along a rather deep cut.

“Did I forget to mention my blade’s other trait? You have three minutes, Red. After that point, the coating on my blade will render you unconscious.” Cain smirked at her. “And then, the Grimm will have you. Pity, I thought you’d be more of a challenge.” The petite teen simply frowned. Her left arm hurt. The blood was warm against her skin. She narrowed her eyes, and her Aura rippled into life around the blade of her scythe. Her slices took on a frantic note. The red of her scythe blurred into solid lines around her. Then it stopped. With his sickly yellow aura coating his sword, Cain stopped Crescent Rose with just one hand on the hilt. His left hand reached forward, as if trying to touch the blade. Then the scythe vanished in a burst of petals. Ruby reappeared with her back to the cliff, the scythe behind her. It was clear, she was getting tired. Her arm ached. Her hair was sticky with sweat. But her eyes were determined. She was closer to the forest than he was, but escape was pointless. She wasn’t going to let some creep beat her. She pulled the trigger, and the recoil launched her forwards. In mid-air, she twisted. A pinwheel of pain, she spun. She fired again for her momentum and altitude. Cain shifted his left hand back to the hilt of his sword. Then, as Ruby got close, he swung. The collision between sword and scythe crashed, and the girl was thrown from her weapon. She was on her knees at the foot of a tree, and as she watched, Cain approached her scythe. He sheathed his sword, and placed both hands against the blade of Crescent Rose.

Ruby felt her heart break as the scythe’s blade started to melt around his fingers. The wolf laughed.

“You should have listened to me, girl. You’re not ready to be killed, but I never said I was going to let you keep your scythe.” Indeed, either through his Semblance or unseen dust, he was melting the blade of her scythe with his bare hand. Ruby went limp as she collapsed, defeated. He snorted, and released the scythe. The blade was twisted and warped, with pieces missing where he’d melted them to oblivion. Ruby’s vision started to gray, and she realized that he was right. She couldn’t make it out of this. Cain left her massive weapon where it lay, for all intents and purposes useless. Her vision swam. The last thing she saw was the back of the wolf, his sword slung over his shoulders and a yellow crack-like pattern down his jacket. Then, all there was to see was darkness.

 *   *   *

“C’mon, don’t do this Ruby!” Her eyes fluttered, and she found herself staring into a pair of black sunglasses and dark hair. Barely visible was two cat ears, but she knew this Faunus.

“N…Noir…” she stammered. Her mouth was dry.

“Don’t worry, Ruby. It’ll be ok. You’ve got a friend here.” The cat looked at her, and it was clear that he was stressed. “We’ve got Grimm filling the forest, and I don’t think you’re in any condition to fight, but I’ll figure something out.” Everything the girl could see was fuzzy, and she felt like vomiting. Her eyes shifted to Crescent Rose, and felt worse. The edge was misshapen and brutal. Her beloved scythe was twisted and ruined, which described how she felt inside. Noir returned to talking.

“I was distracted by Grimm. One second I look, and you’re at the memorial. Then I got harassed by Ursa, and the next thing I knew, you were passed out here, bleeding. Whatever attacked you is gone, and I can’t see any tracks. But you’re the important thing here.” He was already knelt in the snow next to her, but she wasn’t expecting him to roll her onto his back. Her vision swam once again, fading into gray for a moment. When she could see again, her arms were around his neck. He held Crescent Rose in its gun form. A set of bandages and belts held her in place against his back, while his swords rested against her sides.

“Don’t know how well my arms will hold out without the bandages, but I don’t care. I’m going to get you to help.” His voice was muffled by the awkward position she was in, but she didn’t care. Her strength was gone. Whatever the chemical was Cain had slashed her with, it was strong. She felt movement. Noir was walking, silent once again as he carried her. An hour passed, or a minute. She wasn’t sure how time was passing. Noir was talking, but she only heard a few little pieces.

“Blake’s coming for us. Trust in her. You’ll be getting out of this.” There was a shot, and an Ursa roared in pain. “Hell, I can’t use my swords or bracers with you on my back, and they’re coming from everywhere.” Ruby was slowly becoming more aware. She could feel the agony of her arm, and the slight warm trickle still leaking down it over Noir, but he made no comment. Instead, he fired Crescent Rose again. Ruby managed to lift her head far enough to see, and there was a wall of Grimm bursting into the clearing. Part of her wished Noir would leave. Her scythe was ruined, and he was risking his life for her against more beasts than her addled brain could count. But, a new sound burst into her consciousness – a familiar, rhythmic banging, and a voice shouting at the top of its lungs.

“Hey, Ursa! Step away from my baby sister!” In a flaming blur, Yang burst through from behind a rather large bear-like beast. Her fists flew in rapid punches, faster and faster as she shouted out her fury. In a silent blur, Ruby could have sworn she saw four Blake racing around both sides of a King Taijitu, tearing into it with Gambol Shroud, while Sun shredded a group of Beowolves with his gunchucks. It was, to her eyes, the most unexpected and beautiful sight she could have seen. She could feel movement again, and she realized Noir was on his knees.

“Yang! I need a hand here!” Strong hands gripped Ruby’s shoulders, and she could feel the pressure of the bandages tying her to her Faunus carrier slip away. A new pressure emerged around her, joined by wordless sobbing, and as she slipped from consciousness, she knew that in her sister’s arms, nothing could hurt her.

Maybe everything would be alright after all.


	7. Heart-To-Heart

_Is this real life?  
Or is it all just a dream…_

“She’s not conscious. Yang, we should lie her down.” The blonde didn’t pay any attention to Blake, or the rest of the world, the same way she had since getting the chance to hold Ruby while the other three finished off the Grimm. She cradled her sister in her arms, her mind shut-off from the world as she pressed Ruby close to her body. In her mind, all the promises she made to Summer Rose about protecting the younger girl spun, and she knew that she could have lost her sister there and then.

“She’s been slipping in and out of consciousness since I found her. Please tell me you brought a car, so we can get her back to Beacon.” Noir shifted his gaze from the three arrivals, but none of them spoke. He bit back a curse as his face reddened. “Don’t tell me you brought the Mad Cat out here. Please don’t tell me that.”

“We had no choice!” Sun burst. “The two people with cars are going away. Weiss doesn’t trust me, and Langford…”

“Langford’s car isn’t drivable.” Noir finished. He exhaled with a single sharp breath to release some of his frustration. “Fine.” He knelt down beside Yang. Despite the snow on her bare legs, she remained oblivious to his presence. As gently as he could, he lifted her head, so she was staring into his sunglasses.

“Yang, lie her down. She’ll be fine, I promise.” Yang nodded, and slowly stretched her sister out atop her cloak. Noir slid his phone out of a pocket in his jeans, and in seconds, he was in contact with Professor Ozpin. It wasn’t preferable, but there was no other option.

“Professor, we’ve got a Huntress down in the Snowy Forest, possibly critical wounds.” Pause. “Ok, I’ll turn on an emergency signal for them, how long?” Pause. “Understood. Thank you.” As he hung up, Yang tore her gaze away from her sister.

“How long until they get here?” Noir fiddled with his scroll, and turned on the emergency broadcast functions. Yang clenched her fists. “I said, how long?”

Noir finally found his voice. “Half an hour. They’re prepping an emergency Bullhead now.” Yang breathed a sigh of relief, and Noir seemed to loosen up. It didn’t last. In an instant, the blonde was on her feet, flames rippling around her body as she glared at the cat faunus.

“So, Noir. Was there a reason that you didn’t call me when you started following my sister?” The teen stood his ground in the face of Yang’s semblance. His hands twitched slightly, but he shoved them into his pockets.

“I didn’t want you to screw up, ok? Not everyone has a chance like that. If you knew, then I bet you would have blazed in, fists flying.” He shifted, and gestured towards the numerous carcasses nearby. “You did anyway, with perfect timing. But, if you did it earlier, then she would never have let her emotions go, and her next action might have been worse.” Yang was silent, but the flames died back. One hand dove into a pocket in her skirt, and she threw her motorcycle keys to Sun.

“If you scratch Bumblebee, I will make sure you never have kids.” Even stunned as he was, the monkey still managed to catch the flying metal object. “I’m going with her. And I’m staying with her.” The three faunus nodded, all understanding there was no point pushing her when she was like this.

“Me, too. My helmet should fit you, Noir. Team RWBY should stick together for a while.” Blake gave Sun a quick peck on the cheek as she walked over to sit by Ruby. Then, she noticed the bandages around the girl’s arm. “Noir, are those…”

“They’re clean, Blake. Might have been around my arms, but I haven’t been bleeding recently.” She didn’t look convinced, but there was nothing she could say to his explanation as the two boys headed off. As they walked, she could have sworn that Sun asked if they should take the ‘long way back’. She sighed. There wasn’t much she could do about his old habits except hope they died off. Both girls sat in silence, the only sounds to hear the distant roars of Grimm deep in the woods. From time to time, Ruby mumbled and twitched. The smell of blood seeping from the girl was intense enough for Blake to look a little bit sick, even as she laid her leather jacket over her wounded friend for more warmth. Finally, she couldn’t take it.

“Yang, I get it. You’re angry.”

“You don’t say.” The blonde’s knuckles where white as she clenched her fists. Blake could see the slight tensing in the girl’s jaw. Unafraid, she continued.

“You’re angry and scared. I get that. But if you could blame anyone, blame whatever it was that ambushed your sister. Don’t blame Noir, or Ruby. Neither of them knew what was going to happen.” Yang’s eyes were hard, but the black-haired girl could see tears quite obviously run down the girl’s face.

“I blame myself, Blake. I spoke with her before she ran away, and she didn’t say anything. All she said was that she was embarrassed about that incident with Jaune and Pyrrha. And, in my attempt to cheer her up, I told her we would have beautiful families, beautiful lives.” Yang’s fists tightened even further. “I should have noticed that she wasn’t acting like herself and tried to help her.” With that, the silent sobbing returned, and the girl buried her head in her arms. A faint murmur rose from her throat. “I’m a horrible sister. I promised to protect her, and I failed.”

Blake moved closer, and managed to wrap her arm around the girl in support. There was nothing she could say. In a way, this was what Yang needed – a chance to release the pent-up emotion in her heart. In the distance, the faunus could hear the familiar sound of jet engines, but she remained silent even as the Bullhead made its appearance on the horizon. The time for talking could wait. For now, all she could do was support.

 *   *   *

The two motorbikes sat side-by-side outside the small coffee shop. One golden yellow, the other black and blue. Sun and Noir sat at a table nearby. The monkey held a banana muffin in one hand, and a coffee in the other, while the cat preferred a steak sandwich he’d bought from a nearby café to make up for his lack of breakfast.

“Ok, so I can keep Tira off your back when we get to Beacon, I need to check your arms.” Sun stated. Noir sighed, but he pulled off his denim jacket, which he slung over the back of his chair. He glared daggers at the monkey, but he still removed the black leather and steel bracers from his forearms. By rolling his arms, he revealed what Sun was looking for. Two bands of metal ran down the back of each arm from wrist to elbow. The metal had a few small bloodstains on it, but they seemed dry and clean otherwise. Noir smirked.

“Want me to take the bands off, too?” The young faunus pinched the end at his left wrist, but Sun shook his head.

“No need.” Noir nodded once as he bit into his sandwich, and the two ate in silence for a few moments. Finally, Sun spoke up. “What happened out there? I don’t think any of us were expecting to see you with Ruby tied to your back.” The cat kept his mouth shut for a few moments as he planned his response and strapped his bracers back on.

“I don’t know for sure,” he finally said. “There was Beowolves nearby, and I was distracted by keeping them away from her. Next chance I got to look, she was unconscious. Wasn’t a Grimm, just judging by the cut on her arm. It was too clean.” Sun frowned. The idea of people waiting for Hunters in the forests as ambushes wasn’t pleasant. He took another rather large bite of his muffin and composed himself.

“Yang was right, Noir. You should have called her, not Blake and me. It was her sister you were trying to protect, and when it came to reaching you through the Grimm, she did most of the work.” The cat faunus hissed, and pulled off his sunglasses to glare at Sun properly. His yellow irises and slit pupils gave away his feline heritage more than the faintly visible ears on his head. Sun wasn’t fazed by the display. “Who was it you were trying to protect? Ruby, or both of them?”

“Both of them. And my reasons for wanting to do so are mine alone to know. That's in the past, and this is the present. In other words, drop it.” Sun sighed. Noir wasn’t a circular thinker, but when it came to his history, it wasn’t the smartest place to poke around.

“If you’re sure. I mean, why’d you give your sword a girl’s name, anyway?” Noir’s glare got even darker, and he dropped the subject. Instead, he went back to the muffin. He felt Noir look away, and snuck a glance to spy the other faunus staring at the sky, his sandwich long-gone.

“It’s just… I don’t want anything bad to happen to Yang, ok?”

Sun sighed. “Now who’s bringing it up?” The monkey polished off the last of the coffee in his travel mug, then turned back to the motorbikes.

“Bet I beat you back to Beacon.” The cat’s challenge was just what Sun was waiting to her. He grabbed his helmet and smirked.

“Please. Yang’s Bumblebee is far better than your Mad Cat. Loser buys winner and his girlfriend lunch tomorrow?” he retorted.

“Only if that means I get two lunches, since I’m going to win.” Noir responded.

The monkey just laughed. “Dream on.”

*     *     *

This was as close to perfect as she could feel, Weiss reasoned. A day spent not in the field, or at Beacon, but at home after a hard day of negotiations. The room was white, with her expansive bed waiting for her. She was dressed in her favourite dress, a bracelet around her wrist, pink ribbon tied into her hair. And yet something wasn’t right. There was something missing. It wasn’t her scented candles, which wafted the scent of vanilla through the room. It wasn’t the freshly baked brownies on the table, which were just the way she liked them – still warm, fresh out of the oven. It wasn’t the lack of people, with Langford crashed out in the sitting room watching a movie while sprawled out over the couch. Or was it? The heiress had grown used to having quiet mornings and evenings, but her days were normally spent with her teammates, her friends. Not with Langford and a bunch of workers. She looked down at the bracelet, and smiled. A gift from friends.

For her eighteenth birthday two months ago, Ruby and Yang had organized a girl’s night. At first, she had been expecting something ridiculous and boy-like, something like laser tag or go-karts. Instead, Yang had somehow gotten tickets for one of her favourite bands, and before the concert, they were booked into a restaurant that all the girls agreed was perfect for afternoon tea – a marble and gold café with chocolate the specialty. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed a night so much, even if Nora and Ruby had tried to drink straight from the chocolate fountain. And, at the end of the night, after she’d seen all the other presents, her teammates revealed the best part – even with all they’d spent, the three of them had pooled their money to buy her a bracelet. At first, she’d been upset at the simple silver chain bracelet, but when she’d pulled it from the box, she noticed that each girl had gone and bought a charm and stuck it on there. Yang chose a teddy bear, a subtle joke at the bonding the two had done while trapped by a giant Ursa. Blake chose a book, for obvious reasons, while Ruby’s choice had astonished her. A shard of silver shaped perfectly into a replica of her rapier. The girl had been embarrassed, and constantly refused to admit where she’d gotten it, but the secret was spoiled by Yang out of the girl’s earshot – Ruby had made it herself. After all, the elder sister reasoned, eighteen was a major age, and Ruby had wanted a unique present, so when they decided to get her the charm bracelet, the girl had spent her own money buying a small chunk of silver, then shaped it into the shape of her friend’s weapon in fine-detail, working with metal as-small as some of the springs inside Crescent Rose. Since that night, Weiss had added a few charms to it, but it was those three that were the most important to her. Especially the rapier.

“Hey, Weiss. Wanna watch the movie with me?” The girl’s head swung around to face Langford, an acidic remark on her lips, but she stopped. Instead, she gave a faint half-smile.

“Maybe later.” Part of her wondered why she’d said that. She didn’t like Langford all that much, even when they were kids. Something about his bulk and sexist attitude irked her. But, when he returned her smile, it seemed worthwhile to give him a chance. Then he opened his mouth again. “So, rough day, huh? Why don’t we spend the night relaxing together?” She groaned.

“Forget it, Langford. Not happening.” He just grinned and ran a hand through his curly brown hair.

“It’ll happen eventually, Weiss. I’ve got that animal magnetism, draws the girls in and makes ‘em go wild.”

“You? You’re stocky, sexist, and seem to live on a diet of sugar and fat. What kind of girl would go crazy over that?” The dark-skinned teen snorted.

“I’ll have you know that I’m big-boned with dense muscles. It’s not fat. As for my diet, you think your friend Ruby eats any better? The girl probably survives on a diet of cookies!” Weiss blushed in annoyance. How dare he compare himself to Ruby? What similarities did they have? He was dark, sexist and obnoxious. She was pale, accepting and beautiful. Weiss stopped, and checked her thoughts again. Yes, she’d just thought of Ruby as beautiful. It seemed fitting, but she wasn’t going to give any hints to the pest of a sniper in the next room.

“So what if she does? At least she exercises, not to mention she doesn’t snigger when people talk about aural examinations.”

“Heh, I’ll give you an oral examination.” The heiress rolled her eyes at the horrendous pun, and turned away from the man as she headed for the plate of brownies on her dresser.

“Thank you for proving my point, Langford. I’m just saying; she’s much better company than you are.”

“D’aww, you like her.” Weiss’s eyes widened in anger. She stopped as if frozen. In a single, slow movement, she turned to face the obnoxious teenager.

“Riley Langford, what the hell did you just say?” At first, he was stunned. Not many people called him by his first name. He hated it. ‘Riley’ was a girl’s name, and there was nobody in his eyes more masculine than himself.  Then he realized just what he’d done, and a sly grin split across his face.

“Why, nothing, Miss Schnee. Unless you mean the fact I implied you have a romantic interest in another female member of your team. That explains why you aren’t affected by my natural charm, like most other girls.” Weiss’s back was completely straight. Her eyes shot frozen blades at him. She turned, her body conveying all the natural grace of a snow leopard, and she strutted towards him to stand in the hallway, directly before the bulky sniper.

“Say that again. Just one more time.”          

“I said, you’re a lesb-” Her hand moved faster than his eyes could track. One second, nothing. The next second, he was doubled over in agony. His hands flew to his nose, and he felt blood dripping. “I ting youb jus brogen my dose!” he spluttered. Weiss had a cold, predatory smile on her face as she looked at him.

“No, I’m not.  See, plenty of boys are better company than you. Most girls are as well. Ruby was an example that you brought up. Your comments are sexist, and I can’t believe you’d jump to that conclusion!” Of course, her mind was a whirl of emotions. Satisfaction with the slap she’d given him for overstepping his boundaries. Then there was a nagging voice in her head trying to say that she’d only done it because he was right, but she silenced it. She’d had crushes on plenty of boys before. She’d just pay more attention to her emotions to see the truth in that idea.  Then, she noticed the moaning he was making, and the drips of blood hitting the carpet.  She was no doctor, but he needed help. One hand was around his back, and she was guiding him towards the kitchen before she could even comprehend what she was doing. She helped him into a chair, and pressed a button on the intercom as she rushed into the freezer for an ice-pack.

“I need someone to clean a blood splatter in the hallway outside my room, and someone with first aid training to come to the kitchen straight away.”

“Yes, Miss Schnee. It shall be done.” She sighed as she handed the quivering male the ice for his nose. Unlike emotions and perverts, at least the house staff could be counted on to do the right thing.


	8. Rest and Respite

_I AM THE COOKIE LORD!_

“How are you holding up?” Yang tuned out the voice beside her. Her entire focus was on the windows, on her sister lying there with doctors prodding needles into her delicate, pale flesh, just as they had been the day before. The hospital corridor was stark and bare, just as her mind was. She could see the copper hair of Tira Raitan, the medically-trained member of Team SNTL, amongst the far older medics watching the unconscious Ruby.

“Yang? Are you ok?” Finally, she tuned in to hear Blake’s question. She was the same as before, but seeing Ruby hooked up to the multitude of machines broke her heart. She shook her head, unable to speak. Inside her mind, she could hear herself promise to Ruby that she would always protect her, no matter what. Tears slipped from her eyes to fall on the polished linoleum floor, but her eyes didn’t turn away from her sister’s unconscious form.  Without warning, the door opened, and the copper-haired medic walked out, a smile on her face. Blake looked up into the girl’s face, while the sobbing blonde still didn’t shift her eyes from the bedridden girl.

“The test results came back. She’s been poisoned with a Dust-based sedative, most likely through the cut to her arm.” Tira’s smile was warm and gentle, and the next set of words lifted Blake’s spirit. “I’m going to be working on the antidote in a minute, once we prepare the purple Dust I need. She’ll be awake in a few hours.” Yang’s head shot up at that, but she remained silent. Hope glittered in her watery eyes. Tira’s smile widened. “You can sit in there with her for a while, although the doctors want to get her into the operating theatre within the hour in order to try to close the wound to her arm.” Wordlessly, Yang stood. She met the medic’s teal eyes, and wrapped her in a bear hug as the tears started again.

“Thank you, Tira,” she sobbed. The medic managed to free herself from the squishing hug and blushed fiercely.

“Don’t thank me; I was just a consultant. It’s the medical team that you should be thanking.” She gestured towards the room. Most of the doctors had left, with only a few nurses in there preparing the girl for her oncoming surgery. Yang slid past Tira, into the room beyond. It was nerve-wracking. The fact that they’d hooked Ruby up to life-support machines purely to monitor her vitals made it even worse. She’d been stripped down and clad in a hospital gown and thin dress once again, and the older sister had to wonder how Ruby would cope when she was told her clothes had literally been cut off her this time. She loved that dress, although her cloak was fine. The angry red gash on her arm was a slap across the face for Yang, but she ignored it. Instead, she shut her eyes. Almost as if by instinct, her voice returned to her, and she sang. Her choice was both a lullaby and a promise.

“ _Don’t you worry about the dark._  
I will light up the night with the love in my heart.  
I will burn like the sun.  
I will keep you safe and warm.  
Like the smell of a rose on a summer’s day,  
I will be there to take your fears away.  
With a touch of my hand

_I will turn your life to gold.”_

As she sung, she could have sworn Ruby responded, despite the deterioration she’d had on the Bullhead. A mutual memory, she called upon the very lullaby she’d sung for Ruby every night after Summer Rose died for two weeks. A lullaby she’d heard their father sing to her when she was a baby.  The bedridden girl’s eyes fluttered a little bit. With a smile, Yang left the song behind, and simply spoke to her sister.

“Ruby, I should have known there was something wrong after that issue with Jaune. You weren’t acting like yourself, and I missed it. I couldn’t keep my promise to protect you, because I didn’t notice the signs you gave me.” A few stray tears formed in her eyes, but she didn’t cry. “But you know what? You’ll wake up stronger than ever. Maybe not in your body, and you won’t feel stronger in your mind, but you’ll be ready in spirit. And when we find the monster that did this to you, I swear I will break it in two for leaving you like this.” With her free hand, she gently brushed the hair across her sister’s forehead. “You know what? Everyone’s been waiting for news about you. I know you hate the idea, but you really are the bee’s knees in everyone’s eyes.  You’re the golden girl, the Crimson Avenger. The Reaper of Grimm. We need you, Ruby. I need my baby sister back by my side.” The tears slipped from her eyes, and she couldn’t resist the urge to plant a soft kiss on her sister’s forehead. She stood, and walked for the door. The nurses returned her smile as she walked out, and they began to prepare the girl for surgery to repair and close the gash to her arm. Yang’s smile remained. As long as Ruby came back fine, she’d be happy. Blake noticed the grin, and returned a dry smirk.   
“You do realise neither of us have contacted Weiss, right?” Even the concept of bothering the heiress on her out-of-town trip couldn’t ruin Yang’s day.

“I’ll do that now,” the blonde said, and headed off down the hallway towards the exit. Blake watched her teammate leave, and her smirk shifted into a true smile. She’d been concerned about Yang’s sadness just as much as Ruby’s near-coma. Now that they were both in the clear, she could take a load off her shoulders and rest from the stress.

 *    *    *

The room was louder than it should be, the white-haired girl reasoned. The Dust processing workers were shouting about how underpaid they were for the amount of work they were doing. To make things worse, she didn’t have Langford with her. He understood the worker’s plight, being the son of a union representative. Her role was to negotiate a new deal with the workers, and here she was, unable to make herself heard over their noise. She slid back down into her chair and placed her head in her hands. Gently, she rubbed her temples to ward off the growing headache. The room stunk of sweat, and her ears rang with demands for higher wages or lower hours. Of the two, only the higher wages was even possible, as shortening the hours could lead to global Dust shortages that could shift the tide of the war quite dramatically away from the Hunters themselves. Even so, she wasn’t quite sure how her father would react to the increase. After all, she was only the negotiator, and this was the first day of proper negotiation. Part of her wished she hadn’t broken Langford’s nose, but that thought left as quickly as it appeared. He’d asked for it.

One worker in particular spoke up again, and she forced herself to listen over the cacophony. “Your company keeps putting emphasis on us refining more Dust, and on our counterparts in the mines doing more there. But without higher wages or shorter hours, all we have to show for this is stress, especially considering the regular Dusk attacks on the supply trains. Look, while higher wages are a must, we really need more advanced security assigned to the trains for defence. The AK-130s aren’t anywhere near strong enough to repel the elite soldiers, and are only barely capable of dealing with the basic Grimm assaults, while the spider droids are simply too large to be effective.”  Weiss smiled. This was one of the areas where she knew just how to respond.

“We are already aware of the security issues, and my father is in negotiation with the Coalition’s commanders for Hunters and military personnel to be assigned to the transport trains, and a few prototype combat androids will be trialled in the next month.” This statement attracted a small round of applause, especially from the train crews. The heiress continued. “However, I cannot say if your request for increased wages will be successful, even in the five percent increase you’ve been asking for.” The applause died away, and booing started. She grimaced and tried to clarify. “I’m not high enough with the Schnee Dust Company to have the power to approve this without my father’s approval.”

“You were using us as slaves up until a year ago!” This outburst came from one of the faunus workers, a young shrew with frustrated eyes. “Now we ask for a pay increase, and we get shunted off by the boss’s daughter? Aren’t we worth it?”

Weiss opened her mouth to respond, but a familiar ringtone emerged from the pink handbag sitting by her side. She groaned inwardly. It was most likely her father calling to check up on the negotiations. She apologized for the disruption and checked the caller I.D, only to be greeted by the name Yang Xiao Long on the phone’s screen. Instantly, part of the heiress’s mind jumped to the worst-case scenario that Ruby was either dead or critically wounded.

“I-I’m sorry, I have to take this phone call,” she stammered. The irate faunus laughed.

“What, is Daddy calling to make sure his little princess is keeping us in servitude?” he taunted. Weiss’s hands shook in rage.

“I’ll have you know that the call is from a teammate of mine from Beacon, whose sister vanished two nights ago from a hospital ward.” She stood, her cheeks flushed red. “So, if you don’t mind taking a short break, I need to answer this.” Before they could respond, she was out of the white conference room, leaving the representatives of the different work divisions behind. The second that she was in the hallway, she jabbed the answer call button and pressed the smartphone to her ear.

“Hi, Weiss…”

“Don’t you ‘hi Weiss’ me, Yang. You wouldn’t be calling if something wasn’t wrong. Has something happened to Ruby?” To the heiress’s ear, Yang sounded happy, so she doubted the reason for calling was bad.

“Well, when Blake, Sun and I reached the forest, we found Grimm everywhere, and they were attacking Noir and Ruby. She was unconscious and tied to his back, don’t ask. Anyway, she’s been in a coma for the last two days, and she’s going in for surgery on a cut to her arm now. But she’ll be ok, they’re preparing a purple Dust compound to bring her out of it as we speak.” Weiss was speechless for a moment as she realised her fears about Ruby’s safety had been right.

“What?!” she burst. “Ruby has been comatose with major injuries for the past two days, and you’re only just calling me now?” Her voice rose in pitch uncontrollably, and she shivered as she tried to bring her body back under control from the adrenaline shock. “Look, I’ll see if father can send someone else out to take over the negotiations, and I’m coming back to Beacon as soon as I possibly can. Besides, Langford probably needs it, with his broken nose.” The phone line was silent for a few moments, then Yang’s voice returned.

“Broken nose? Do I want to know?”

“Let’s just say he knows not to joke around about me and my friends any more. I might have to teach you the same thing for not letting me know about Ruby sooner.” Weiss could feel her cheeks burn, but she didn’t care. The idea of Ruby being badly injured without her being told was horrendous.

“Look, Weiss, I’ll let you go. See you back at Beacon soon then, ok?”

“Fine. And tell Ruby…”

 _That I can’t bear the idea of losing her_ , she wanted to say.

“Tell her I wish her all the best in recovery.”

“I’ll pass it on. Bye, Weiss.” The phone line went dead. She just stood there, lost to the world for a moment.  Her best friend was in hospital, and here she was arguing with a bunch of moronic workers! She didn’t care what her father would say. She walked back into the room, and the attendees stared at her blushing face.

“I’m going to organize a new negotiator to deal with you, something’s come up at Beacon and I’m needed there,” she explained. The workers looked at each other, then returned to her.

“Its fine, miss Schnee. If you’re needed elsewhere, then who are we to stop you. Good luck with your friend.” To her surprise, the faunus who’d challenged her before was the one who chose to speak up, but she smiled with grace at his care.

“Thank you, and I will make sure my father hears your requests.” She bent for a second to grasp her bag, and then she was out of the room.

It was time to return to her friends. 


	9. Chapter 9

_The worst part of waking up is knowing you have to do things._

Her silver eyes flickered open, and the first thing the petite girl noticed was the stark white walls. The artificial light from the fluorescent tubes was glaringly bright. Her head pounded. She had a dry throat. And there were people staring at her, two girls slightly older than she was. Slowly, her memories drifted back to her as the blonde threw her arms up and around her slim body. Surprisingly, she couldn’t feel her left arm underneath the blonde’s weight. She glanced at it, and was unsurprised at the plaster cast covering it.

“I’m so glad you’re awake!” the blonde cheered. Ruby grimaced at her sister’s high-pitched voice – it wasn’t doing her headache any favours.

“You gave us quite a scare, Ruby. How are you feeling?” Blake asked. She watched the girl over the top of her book.

“I-I’m fine.” Ruby couldn’t believe the sound of her voice. It was husky, and it hurt as much to speak as it did to think. “What’s the big deal? So I slept in, so what? And why am I back in hospital?” Yang blinked, and the joyful look on her face faded into a sadder one.

“Ruby… you’ve been unconscious for two days.” The redhead’s eyes widened. Her headache cleared, and the memory of the fight slammed into her with the force of a truck. Yang reached over and pressed a straw against her sister’s mouth. Thirstily, the girl gulped away at the contents of the glass, the water easing the pain from her dry throat.

“T-two days?” she squeaked. Her voice sounded slightly closer to normal, although it was still a little bit raspy.

Blake nodded. “Two days. Noir was keeping an eye on you when you snuck out, but he was distracted. By the time he reached you, you were unconscious.” Ruby blushed. She could faintly remember being carried, and his reassurances.

“I remember what happened,” she said, and she felt Yang pull away. A shadow fell over the doorway, and as Yang’s hair cleared her vision, Ruby found herself looking at Professor Ozpin, Noir standing close behind.

“Well, I think we’ll be interested in hearing about it,” the professor stated, his mug of coffee still in-hand. Blake slid from the chair across from the girl’s bed for the elder man, while Noir stood with his back to the wall, notepad in hand. Ruby gulped slightly, and sipped at the water through the straw.

“I went to Summer’s memorial, to get some of the things that were haunting me off my chest. But, while I was there, four members of the White Fang approached me. They taunted me, and told me they would spare me if I went with them. Then they…” Ruby turned her glance down towards her hands, and studied them. Despite being clean, she could almost see the blood dripping down the blade of Crescent Rose and coating her hands, just like her dream. “They attacked me, and I fought back like they were Grimm, not like they were faunus. I threw them off the cliff.” Yang’s eyes widened and Blake seemed paler than usual, Ruby noticed. Strangely, Noir and the Professor didn’t seem fazed by the revelation.  “But that wasn’t the worst part. The last one called himself Crucible, whatever that means. Then he said his real name was Cain. He was a wolf faunus, a big one, and he had a rifle-sword. He was the one who cut me, and that was the start of our fight. And then he…” Ruby’s voice choked away, as the memory of the misshapen blade rose to her mind’s eye. “He melted Crescent Rose’s blade with a single touch. After that, it’s just a blur.” Ozpin nodded sagely. Noir’s head was lowered as he scrawled information on the pad of paper.

“I see. Well, you’ve given us a good starting point. There will be resources tracking down this ‘Cain’, starting immediately. Good luck in your recovery, Miss Rose.” Ozpin stood again, and took a sip of his coffee as he walked out. Noir looked up after him, but made no immediate attempt to leave. Instead, he looked at Ruby. His sunglasses made guessing what he was thinking a chore.

“How are you holding up?” he asked. Ruby blushed; the attention was getting to her.

“F-fine,” she stammered. The feline faunus smiled and slid a hand up to his sunglasses. In a single pull, he slid them free. His slit pupils bored into the girl, and she shivered even with the smiling sparkle there.

“Glad to hear it. You gave me a bit of a fright when I found you.” He looked down, and she could feel his shame. Yang blinked. This was unlike Noir, at least in her experience with him. “I’m sorry that I didn’t notice you needed the help.” He stood back up, and nodded to Blake. “You might want to head to the docking bays; apparently Weiss is arriving in a minute.” The young man slid his glasses back on, and gave the girls one last smile. “Found out a surprise is arriving soon, so I’d look forward for the next few days if I was you, Ruby.” With that, he was out the door. Blake silently took her leave as well. She knew just what Weiss would be like if she wasn’t greeted. This left the sisters together again. Yang sighed, and rustled her younger sister’s hair into a mess.

“Get some rest, Ruby. Weiss will want to see you, and we all know what that’ll end up like.” The younger girl giggled, despite her pout at the messed hair.

“Yeah, I know. See you later, Yang,” she replied, and settled back into the bed to watch cartoons on the little TV hanging from the roof. Yang smiled and slid the door shut behind her. She had an idea on how to keep Ruby’s spirits up, and now all she needed was the others to agree to it.

 *     *     *

She strode down the stairs of the Mantis with purpose. Her head was held high, and her stride was driven, even with suitcase in hand. This was a façade. Just as she had been since the phone call about Ruby, Weiss’s heart ached. She was trying to figure out where she stood towards the girl, if it was just friendship or a crush, and then she finds out the girl had been comatose for two days. She wanted to scream in Yang’s face for keeping it a secret from her. As she had guessed, Blake was standing there waiting for her, although she was surprised to find Tira there as well.

“I heard that you were arriving with wounded,” the healer explained, her read on the heiress’s confused expression clearly correct. Weiss sighed, but she nodded. Blake looked at her, and raised an eyebrow. She remained silent.

“I think I’ll head back to the dormitories, freshen up a little bit. Then I’ll visit Ruby.” Weiss looked at Blake, and she hoped that the catgirl would disagree and take her straight to the medical centre, but instead the faunus just shrugged.

“Whatever you say,” she murmured, and settled into the same pace as the heiress as the two walked back to the dormitories in silence. Weiss was glad for it, she had to admit. Finally, the catgirl broke the silence. “Sorry we didn’t tell you sooner about Ruby, but it’s been a busy few days. Yang didn’t leave her sister’s side until she made the phone call, and I was distracted-”

“By taking care of Yang. I understand.” Weiss sighed, and listened to the crunch of the ground under Blake’s boots. “I don’t exactly like being left out of the lurch, but I understand.” The girls walked into the dormitories, and were surprised to see Jaune standing in the kitchen holding a bottle of sports drink, shirtless and covered in sweat.

“Do we even want to know?” the heiress asked, prompting the exhausted-looking hunter to smile.

“I was released from hospital today, and Pyrrha decided I needed to catch up on our training sessions. She really worked me harder than normal.” Jaune paused, and swallowed a long swig of the drink. Weiss wasn’t entirely impressed at his physique, but at least he wasn’t like Langford, all bulk. Jaune had some definition, which counted for, well, something. “I probably should go back there, before she drags me back.” Weiss nodded as he headed back out towards the gym.

“Is there something you haven’t told us, Weiss?” The girl froze. She looked back at the catgirl, and she could feel something catch in her throat.

“I’m sorry?” she stammered. She couldn’t tell what this question was getting at. “Why are you asking me this?” Blake had a faint smile across her face.

“It was two days, and you weren’t in any danger. How did Langford end up breaking his nose?” Weiss relaxed slightly. Blake wasn’t suspicious of anything.

“He was being stupid at the top of a flight of stairs and slipped, so he ended up slamming his nose into the wall.” Weiss rolled her eyes, although in her mind, she smiled at the believable excuse. Blake just raised an eyebrow.

“You mean he wasn’t being a pervert? That’s a first.” Weiss laughed, and strode into her room to dump down her suitcase.

“Tell me about it.”

 *    *    *

Jaune gulped as he walked into the gym. He could see Pyrrha standing in the middle of the sparring mats, stretching. His eyes tracked down her body, absorbing all of her sweat-drenched beauty. After all, it wasn’t every day he got to spend time with his girlfriend when she was dressed in just a sports bra and leggings. She smiled at him, and he felt self-conscious at the lack of shirt on his back.

“Are you ready, Jaune?” she asked, a teasing note in her voice. “Just because you’ve been in hospital for a few days doesn’t get you out of this.” He made a point to stick out his chest.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied. He stood in front of her, and shifted into the stance the two of them had drilled for the past two years – left leg forward, right arm back. Left arm held up as if covered by his shield, right arm lowered to the side with a clenched fist. Pyrrha just smiled and shifted into a more traditional boxing stance. He gestured, and the fight began.

She advanced, and launched two quick jabs, but he swung his left arm into their path to block. He followed with a rapid right hook that Pyrrha easily deflected with an open palm.  He rolled with the deflection to follow with a left jab, but she caught it with her right hand. Annoyed, he swung with his right again, but her left gripped it. The two were locked like that for a moment, motionless. Then with a sudden knee lift, it was over.

Jaune found himself staring up at the woman he cared about. Just the fear of taking a knee to the crotch had made him flinch, and her grapple had knocked him down with ease after that.

“You need to focus, Jaune.” Pyrrha’s hand wrapped around his wrist, and the strong girl hauled him to his feet. He grimaced, and returned to his ready stance. She just smiled as she shifted into a kickboxing ready position.

She swung her left foot into the air, but he parried the high kick with his defending arm. She spun with the block, to attack with a right-handed roundhouse. Jaune leant to the side, and the punch sailed past. He could feel it again, the rhythm of the fight. Pyrrha pulled her fist back, and swung her left hand in a hook for his jaw. He blocked with his left, and countered with a right jab towards her chest. She stepped backwards, caught her breath, then darted forwards with an open palmed thrust to his chest. He let it strike, but used his aura to absorb the attack, his feet still firmly planted into the ground. She nodded, a smile flitting across her face.

“Now you’ve got it. Again, with more leg movement.” Pyrrha’s commands entered Jaune’s mind, but he didn’t reset his stance. Instead, he closed his eyes for a moment. He listened. Ren’s old lessons at the dances of the Festival payed off – he could hear the rhythm of her heartbeat. The pattern of her breath. And he could hear the little twitches from his own body. He smiled as his eyes flew open. He flicked his fingers in the honoured “bring it on” motion, and she came.

Pyrrha didn’t hold back. She could see Jaune could feel the pace now, and so she made sure he would. Right hand jab, he blocked. Left hook, he side-stepped. Left side kick. Right uppercut. Jaune stepped backwards and both missed. She brought her foot back, but he struck. One punch caught her on the right shoulder, knocking her backwards a step. The second bounced off her hard abs. She continued moving back, rendering the rest of his assault fruitless. She charged, two steps followed by a snap-kick, but Jaune deflected with an aura-enhanced tap. She spun with the touch, shifting into a roundhouse. He side-stepped to the right and towards her. Momentarily, she was suspended in balance around her kick. He reached forward and placed a light shove on her shoulder, and she fell. As she dropped, her leg hooked around the back of his, and brought him down with her.

“You’ve learned well, Jaune.” Pyrrha murmured, a smile across her face. He just shrugged in response.

“Had a good teacher.” She laughed at that, and the two just lay there, staring at the ceiling. Finally, Pyrrha sighed and lifted herself back up.

“We better get moving if we want to get in a shower before dinner. I don’t think Weiss would be happy if we ate like this,” she explained. Jaune checked the time, and sure enough, there was only ten minutes before the normal dinner time, and tonight, Ren was cooking. Pyrrha offered him a hand, and with a single pull, he was back on his feet. With the barest hint of a wink between them, the two ran back for the dorms.

 *     *     *

Yang waited until everyone was eating. It was a simple dinner, a stir-fry with bits of leftover meat scattered through it. Nora was talking about some birds she’d chased during the day while out with Ren. Pyrrha and Jaune both had drenched hair from late showers, and were pretty quiet as they listened to Nora. Tira was talking in hushed tones to Weiss, and the heiress’s face burned from the things the medic was saying. Blake was reading, already finished her dinner, while Sun and Noir simply relaxed, sipping at their colas.

“Guys, I have an idea.” Yang stood in her spot, and slowly the gazes of the others turned to her. “Jaune was hurt. Ruby’s been in and out of hospital. Langford’s nose was broken on a trip away.” The girl could have sworn Weiss’s face was pink at the mention of the pervert’s accident. “We’re all stressed out, and I think a day as a group might help.”

“And what would you suggest?” Sun countered, leaning back on his chair as far as he could. “We all go shopping together? Or maybe you just to go tear up another night club, which we couldn’t take Ruby to in the first place.” Blake’s eyes widened at his sarcastic tone, and she opened her mouth to scold him, but Yang was faster. To her teammate’s surprise, she smiled at Sun’s sarcasm.

“I was actually thinking a picnic in Forever Fall tomorrow. Take out a portable grill, whatever kinds of food you want, some blankets, maybe folding chairs and possibly a tent or cover. Ruby’s only under overnight observation, as far as I know. As long as she’s back in her room by night-time, and Tira keeps an eye on her, there’s no reason why she can’t come too.” She smiled at the looks the others gave at the idea, mostly supportive.

“Ooh, we could have fresh sap!” Nora cheered, leaving Ren with an annoyed smile.

“If we find Grimm, it’ll give you a better workout than I could, Jaune.” Pyrrha remarked, although she wondered why he blushed at the comment.

“So, it’s settled then. We go to Forever Fall, and we celebrate living. And beat up any Grimm we come across.” Yang remarked, and the cheers sealed the deal.


	10. Party In Red

_The more I sleep now, the less I sleep later. To dreamland!_

Ruby’s footfalls were slow and even. She knew it was a dream, and yet it felt real. The garden she walked through was beautiful and detailed, and yet she’d never seen it before in her life. The scent was unbelievable, strong and sweet. As she followed the ordered beds, she caught a flash of red fabric moving away. Surprised, the girl dashed over to find a woman in a red cloak, staring off into the nearby forest. Ruby heard footsteps from her right, and looked in that direction, curious.

What she saw stunned her. He looked like an older, taller Jaune. A number of scars followed his jaw line from below his left ear to just short of his mouth. His armor was shiny and well-maintained, with chain-mail in place of Jaune’s jacket. He had a rough, stubbly beard around his chin, and his blonde hair was thicker than Ruby could ever recall seeing Jaune’s.

“You know why I’m here, General Rose.” Ruby froze. The woman in question kept the hood on her cloak raised, but as she turned to face him the girl could see the gentle flow of her figure.

“I told you not to call me either of those things. I stood down as a general, Helios, and I’m not worthy of the name Rose. Not with the blood I’ve shed.” Ruby gasped. As the woman lowered her hood, the resemblance was obvious to the girl. This woman looked like an older version of herself. Her hair was longer, and it was a rich chocolate brown, not black and red, but there was the same soft curve to her jaw and silver light in her eyes. The woman continued her turn, and Ruby could see red-painted armor over the top of chainmail once again, although she wore a red-dyed skirt in place of the lower body armor that not-Jaune wore. She seemed ill-at-ease, although Ruby could see a folded scythe attached to her back. Helios looked uncomfortable.

“Juliet, can I speak to you as a friend? As we did before this war started?” She nodded, although her eyes were distant. Helios took a deep breath, and Ruby noticed the pain in his eyes. She wondered if he already regretted what he was going to say.

“Both of the wars have been hard on you. The external war, where our neighbours want us to join them in forcing the Faunus to Menagerie, and the internal War of the Rose, centred on your family. But the king sent me to bring you back.” Juliet raised an eyebrow, but the surprise only sank in when her comrade-in-arms plunged his sword into the dirt at her feet and knelt, head bowed to her. “As such, I plead with you, backed by the full authority of the king. We need your skills, Juliet. Your unique tactics, your combat skill, and above all, your soldiers need you to lead. I do my best, but our armies were designed for command by two.” Juliet remained silent as she looked down on Jaune’s ancestor, and a look of frustration crossed her face as Ruby watched.

“Helios, I was forced to defend my home.” The woman gestured at the magnificent manor house behind Ruby, and at the gardens around them. “I was forced to kill friends and family who swore to follow the White Rose, to follow Fintan in his path.” Ruby wasn’t sure who Fintan was, but it was clear that Juliet still cared about her enemy from her voice. “Do you know what it feels like to bloody your hands in fighting your own family? My daughter, Maria, was lucky to survive the more vicious attacks, all over how we commit our servants and vassals in this war.” Juliet spat into the ground beside her. She waited and watched the General for a moment, then sighed. “Get up, General Arc. You want to talk as we did before the war? Then let us spar, as we used to.”

Helios grimaced at the remark, but he took his time to stand. At the same moment, Juliet unclasped her red robe and let it fall to her feet. She was lightly built, especially compared to the muscular swordsman, and womanly despite her small chest and narrow waist. But her weapon caught Ruby’s eye. Sunlight shone the head of the short scythe she held in her right hand connected to a chain, with a weight held in her left. The young Rose guessed that the scythe was half the length of Crescent Rose. Juliet stepped backwards, and started to spin the weight by the chain in simple circles, and the girl clicked. It was a kusarigama, a scythe and weight combination she’d read about. Helios stood across from the woman, and nodded once as he drew his plain steel sword from the ground. Just like Jaune, his shield was strapped to his left arm, although Ruby questioned how he planned to fight a woman with the advantage of both range and mobility. In all the training matches she’d had against Jaune, he’d always struggled to overcome her agility, and Crescent Rose was far bulkier than the plain kusarigama in her ancestor’s hands. The armoured man straightened, and nodded to the woman as he shifted into a combat stance. As Ruby watched, the fight began.

Juliet swung the weight, and Helios found his sword knocked backwards as the woman charged. His shield glowed with Aura. She stopped short of the man and launched a snap-kick. He blocked it with the glowing shield. She yanked the chain to return the weight to her side, but he moved with the metallic object to slam her with the shield. She stumbled backwards a few paces as he freed his sword hand from the chain. With a muted curse, she swung her flail at his shield. Helios smirked as he deflected it into the air. Juliet grinned, and he realized he’d walked into her plan. She flicked her wrist, and the weight dropped back onto his head. His Aura flared, and it bounced back towards her. Helios nodded to her and smiled.

“Like old times, you attack, I defend. Nothing’s changed, Jules.” The brunette slumped.

“Everything’s changed, Helios! Fintan’s gone rogue, and took most of our soldiers with him, just because we haven’t been performing pre-emptive attacks on our enemies to protect Faunus lives. My brother, the White Rose, is turning what was once a group of his friends and soldiers into a liberation movement.” Juliet began to fold the chain back up, but her eyes seemed to draw on Ruby. The girl gasped, but the woman simply smiled. As the weight reached her hands, she returned her gaze to Helios. Her back straightened, and she seemed to redeem some of her lost dignity. Behind the woman, everything seemed to get brighter, glowing with a blinding white light. Helios faded into the shine, leaving only Juliet to speak.

“I guess you’ve left me no choice. I’ll see the king. But I promise you nothing.” As the girl watched, her ancestor vanished into the blinding chasm, and all that was left was white.

 *     *     *

Ruby’s eyelids flickered as the sunbeam fell across her face. She groaned. The dream had been incredible, and she felt sure it was real. The name Juliet Rose was familiar to her, but she couldn’t remember from where. Slowly, the girl shifted in bed, ignoring the weight of the cast on her left arm.

“Phew, looks I won’t have to wake you after all, dolt.” Ruby’s eyes widened as Weiss smiled at her from beside the bed. She instantly sat up, panicked.

“W-what time is it?” Ruby couldn’t help but wonder why Weiss was there. She could still hear the heiress’s furious scolding from the night before, so having her show up to the hospital in the morning with a gentle smile made no sense.

“Time to get up, Ruby. Yang planned a big day for us.” Inwardly, the redhead groaned. If Weiss was waking her, it had to be early. The heiress placed a large bag onto the bed, and smiled. “Your clothes are still being mended, so I took the liberty of choosing something for you.” She reached into the bag and pulled out a pink sleeveless dress. Ruby blushed, embarrassed by the reminder of her old laundry failures. She remembered making the mistake the year before. She’d put her cloak into the washing machine and cleaned it, only to find one of Weiss’s dresses beneath. Why the girl would bring that mistake up now was beyond her comprehension. She realised that the snow-haired woman was talking.

“I know it’s nothing special, but it’s all I have that will fit you. It’ll be a little tight around your...chest, I guess, but this is what happens when you don’t own any clothes that can hold a cast.” Ruby offered a half-smile and blushed.

“T-thanks,” she stammered, and took the dress in her free hand. She slid her legs out of bed, and turned her back to the girl as she headed into the bathroom to change into the set of clean underwear Yang had brought the night before. The dress was the harder part. It was tighter than she expected, and no matter what the girl tried, she couldn’t reach the zipper at the back with her right hand. Her left hand was no use, since it could barely go over her head with the cast on. She felt like screaming in frustration. Nothing was going right at the moment. Ever since Jaune was shot, everything was stacked against her. Now she could barely dress herself, although this wasn’t her normal clothing choice. To her surprise, a slender hand grasped her shoulder, and she felt the pressure on her chest tighten somewhat as the dress was properly fastened.

“Why didn’t you ask me for help with the zipper, you dolt? Or you could have just changed in front of me, like we did as trainees. Why did you make it harder for yourself?” Weiss’s tone of voice was concerned, even if her words were scolding. Ruby blushed; glad that Weiss couldn’t see the tears in her eyes.

“I wanted to feel like I could take care of myself. I’ve been dressing myself since I was a little kid, Weiss. The past week has been people taking care of me, trying to make sure I’ve got everything. I snuck out to relieve stress and talk through my issues, and someone kept an eye on me to keep me safe!” Ruby’s voice rose. She couldn’t help it. As it did, she could have sworn Weiss’s hand had slid down her arm, but she was too invested in the moment to care. “Everyone’s treating me like a baby. Like I can’t do anything for myself. And when I try to do something simple, like drink water or get dressed, somebody is there to help.” The younger girl felt her cheeks burn with her annoyance. To her surprise, Weiss didn’t start scolding her for being foolish. Instead, she pulled the girl backwards a step into a hug from behind. The blush on Ruby’s face darkened. She wasn’t used to this side of Weiss, and that was after two years alongside the heiress.

“Ruby, we all know you can take care of yourself. But you’re the youngest and cutest huntress of all the teams assigned here.” Ruby pouted at her friend calling her cute, taking it at a derogatory jibe at her youthful face, but the heiress couldn’t see it. “You’ve had a tough week, and I think everyone just wants to give you help while you get better. You’d do the same if I was injured.” Ruby sighed, although her blush expanded when Weiss pulled the hug in a little tighter. It was comforting, and that was the problem. She didn’t want to be comforted, especially not by the girl who normally layered her emotions with ice. There was a cough from behind the two girls. Stunned, Weiss let the girl go as Tira spoke up.

“If you two are done having a moment in the bathroom, I’ve brought Ruby’s cloak.” Ruby snuck a glance at her teammate as she walked to Tira. She was surprised to see Weiss blushing just as bright as she had been, but she passed it off to being caught acting out of character. Weiss seemed to hate anyone outside their team seeing her acting gentle or kind.

Within a flash, Ruby felt more comfortable. The dress wasn’t her style, and she was unarmed for the first time that she could remember, but her cloak made her feel right. It made her feel like herself again. With a smile across her face, she followed Tira to the admissions desk of the medical ward while Weiss walked straight out. The copper-haired medic didn’t wait for a doctor’s permission. Instead, she simply signed a few forms and started to walk out. Surprised, Ruby followed her.

“I just got you signed off for the day, Ruby. Sorry, but the doctors were adamant that you needed more overnight observation, so I couldn’t get you released completely. It’ll only be for a few more days, I promise. I also had to promise to keep an eye on you, in order to keep the doctors happy.” Tira explained to the perplexed teenager. The girl nodded, although she still seemed confused.

“I guess its ok…” she murmured. Weiss waved the other two over to her car, a sleek white coupe she’d been given for her eighteenth by her father. She’d folded the front passenger’s seat forward, and Ruby darted into the back to let Tira take her seat. She’d always been the most comfortable in the back seat of Weiss’s car, mostly because of its cramped nature. Being the smallest of the team, she would always get the back seat, so it didn’t bother her.

Ruby tuned out the conversation in the front seats pretty quickly as Weiss began the task of navigating through Vale’s winding streets. Instead, the girl focused on the music Weiss had playing. To her surprise, the girl was listening to Dynamo, a punk band that Ruby had introduced the heiress too the year before. She had never thought Weiss had taken to it. With a smile across her face, the young Huntress shut her eyes and lost herself in the soundscape. Before she knew it, Weiss was shouting at her that they had arrived. She opened her eyes, and outside the pale interior of the coupe was a sea of red leaves. They stood in Forever Fall. To say she was surprised was an understatement, but as she clambered out the door, Ruby noticed the others, and she couldn’t help but smile.

Nora hung upside-down from a tree, with purple sap covering the majority of her face. Langford sat at the base of the same tree with a glass in hand, although Ruby had trouble following the path of his eyes thanks to the bandages wrapped around his face. Jaune wore a novelty apron as he tended a portable barbeque, with the words ‘kiss the chef’ written across his chest in bold print. Pyrrha stood nearby, preparing a salad, and the smell of the meat prompted a hungry growl to escape Ruby’s stomach. She blushed, but Weiss said nothing to respond. Instead, the girl just smiled and gestured over to a picnic table filled with snacks. Blake sat on one of the bench-sides, a book firmly grasped in her hands. Even so, she still gave Ruby a smile as the girl set into an open packet of cookies with her free hand.

“Good to see you back to normal, Ruby,” she remarked. The younger teen replied with a crumb-filled smile. The Faunus rolled her eyes and set the book down.

“So… where are Yang and the others?” Ruby asked between cookies. Blake gestured towards the forest.

“Ren and Noir wanted to clear out some Grimm, while Sun and Yang are getting wood to set up a fire. Something about “atmosphere”, she said.”

“She probably just wanted to set fire to something again.” Ruby noted, another biscuit half-way to her mouth. 

The catgirl snorted. “Probably.” A flicker of yellow meant no more comment was needed as Yang and Sun strode in, the faunus carrying a rather large armful of wood, while the young woman held a slightly smaller bundle of kindling. For a moment, Ruby thought that her sister hadn’t noticed her as the busty lady walked towards a circle made of rocks. Suddenly, Yang dropped the pile of sticks onto the ground and raced back to almost tackle her sister.

“It’s great to have you up and about, Ruby!” she cheered. The young Rose grimaced, more because her sister had managed to squish the cast up into her ribcage than any embarrassment. Yang wasn’t exactly a stranger to these kinds of public displays.

“Yang… you’re hurting me…” she wheezed. Instantly, the older girl parted her arms to let Ruby free. She stepped backwards, and cast an evaluative eye over her sister’s attire.

“I like the dress. It looks good on you,” Ruby blushed.

“It’s a little tight, to be honest,” she murmured.  Yang just grinned.

“How else do you expect to get the boys to pay attention? Hey, Jaune, don’t you think Ruby looks good in this dress?” If there was ever a moment that the redhead wished to die of shame, it was right then. Jaune raised his head, and opened his mouth to respond. But, to Ruby’s relief, Blake chose to intercede.

“Yang, shouldn’t you be helping Sun with the fire? You are just a bit better suited to it.” The blonde’s eyes widened.

“How did I forget that? We’ll go back to this later, Ruby.” With that, the elder girl ran back to the fire pit. Ruby nodded her thanks to Blake, but the girl was once again absorbed in her book. Ren and Noir appeared from beneath the trees. Ren instantly darted towards Nora in the tree, clearly startled. That left Noir in the watchful gazes of the other hunters. He stood there, silent for a moment. Finally, he spoke.

“No sign of any Grimm, at least not in the general area,” he stated.

“Then let’s get this party started!” Yang burst. She swung a punch, and the fire crackled to life.

“Meat’s cooked!” Jaune replied, matching the other blonde for volume. Two words were all it took to bring the entire group together. The next few moments were filled with nothing but the sound of food being decimated. Nobody could speak. Nobody wanted to. Finally, Ruby had to break the silence.

“Jaune, this is amazing!” The cook blushed. The tone darkened as Pyrrha followed the instructions on his apron and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Thanks. Haven’t cooked like this since before I came to Beacon, but I followed my dad’s old instructions, and it always comes out right. Glad to hear you like it.”

“Looks like Ren’s got himself some competition!” Yang teased. The boy shrugged.

“Ren and I cook different things. He’s the fancy chef; I’m just good with a grill.”

“Ooh! We should have a pancake cook-off!” Nora burst. Her eyes shone with a manic light. “You have judges here, and it would be awesome!” Ren sighed and opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off as Tira jumped in.

“Nora, I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t eat any more. I swear, if I tried, I’d explode.”

“Well, we are out here for a while, so it could work. How about it, boys? A cook-off to settle who is the better chef. We can have the tasting in an hour or two, when people have worked off their lunch.” Weiss chose the mediating role, intrigued as to the results.

“I’m up for it, I guess. How about it, Ren?” Jaune asked. The dark-haired man smiled.

“May the best cook win,” he replied. In moments, both tables were cleared, and the smuggled pancake mix emerged from Nora’s hiding places. The ginger girl darted from place to place, with a notion to tap each and every tree to find the best source of fresh sap. The others sat around the fireplace, content with digesting and gossiping.

“So, did you hear about Velvet? Apparently her team’s being transferred back to Beacon, so that some of the foreign students could go back home.” Tira mentioned.

“Really? Aww, I hope it’s not Harper and his friends. Those guys are hot!” It took a moment for Yang to notice the gazes. “What?”

“I heard Penny’s been given Beacon as a placement as well. Don’t get too excited.” Sun pointed out. A few uncomfortable looks followed the comment, and the conversation stalled. A howl from afar rang through the forest.

“Beowulf.” Noir stated. “He’s still a decent distance away.” Of course, a rustling in the trees and a growl hinted at otherwise.

“I thought you said there was no Grimm nearby!” Ruby shouted.  Ren’s head flew up towards the movement, and Noir stood.

“We did.”

“Then, what was…” The statement in the girl’s throat died back as the growl faded away to be replaced by a deep chuckle.

“You forget your enemies so quickly, Red.” A brief burst of motion carried the dark shape from the trees. His tailored black clothes were stained with blotchy red marks. The vicious broadsword was slung over his shoulder once again. His face remained unmasked, and Ruby cowered at the sight of the molten orange eye.

“Cain…” she whispered. The cooking competition was forgotten as all eyes shifted to the newcomer. From behind the brutally sized wolf came voices.

“We’re here for the girl, and this time, I’m feeling a little… hungry.” Cain’s eye was fixed onto Ruby. “Since you won’t make it easy, I brought help. Now, shall you prove to be a bigger challenge than the runt of this litter?” His words were a slap to the face. Before anyone could stop her, Yang was half-way to the wolf, Ember Celica cocked and ready over her fists.

“I’ll show you who the runt is!” she growled, but the wolf backed a few paces towards the forest. The bloodthirsty grin ran across his face, but he continued to retreat.

“Then come at me, girl. Let us see if you are any more worthy of Death’s hand than your sister.” With that, he pulled back even further and vanished into the trees. Without waiting for approval, Yang followed. Sun grimaced.

“Noir, go after them.” The cat nodded once to the monkey’s order and vanished after the rapidly-shrinking mop of blonde hair, leaving his jacket behind in the process.

“Ren, Nora, I want you two to split off and try to ambush the enemy, keep them on their toes.” Nora was already gone as Jaune switched into tactical mode. Ren didn’t hesitate to follow. “Tira, Weiss, stay here with me. We’ll keep Ruby safe from ambush.”

“Which leaves the main group of opponents to Blake, Langford and me. Sounds fun.” Sun separated his staff into its nunchuck components. “Let’s move.” In a moment, the final trio left. Ruby slumped.

“Great… I’m getting babied again,” she groaned. Tira just raised an eyebrow, and wrapped her hands around the staff slung across her back. Two quick gestures slid back panels, revealing hidden Dust supplies. She slid a crystal of red dust into the curved stinger-like tip. It took a moment, but the dust filtered into the weapon, creating red pathways through the stained oak.

“Sorry, Ruby, but that’s just what happens.” The younger girl sighed and shifted her attention to the others, but neither of them gave her any real attention. Weiss had Myrtlemaster drawn and held in her common ready stance, while Jaune simply stood with his hand on the hilt of his sword, shield extended and ready for whatever came. Ruby gulped, and slowly tried to recall how Yang taught her to fight with her bare hands, and hoped her sister would come back soon with Cain imprisoned. After all, she needed more lessons.

 *     *     *

Yang ran hard, following the sound of Cain’s rapid footfalls through the darker forest. Something wasn’t adding up. Ruby had described her assailant as brutal and talented, but not a coward. Why he was running deeper into the forest was beyond the girl, but that was beside the point. He hurt her sister, left Ruby unconscious for a couple of days. She didn’t plan on leaving that unpunished. She saw a flicker of silver vanish around a corner, so she followed it into a clearing. The air was still, and there was no sign of Cain. She growled, and hurled a punch into a nearby tree. She’d lost him. Silently, she turned her back and started to walk the way she came.

“Going somewhere?” She froze. Her opponent stood to her left, his sword gripped in one hand, a bloodthirsty smile across his face. “I thought you wanted a fight.”

“You better damn believe it,” she spat.  He grinned.

“Now, now. While a fight would be nice, what I’m after is a little more exciting. A fresh kill.” Yang’s eyes widened as she dived backwards, but it was too late. In a manner similar to Weiss, the wolf flickered through three rapid gestures with his free hand. A blinding flash filled the girl’s eyes. When it cleared, she was snared in two giant rings of silver dust. Instantly, her anger flared, and flames burst around her body, but the dust held solid.

“Our spies reported this gathering to us. You were safe in Vale, but you chose to hold your gathering where I could easily reach it. And now you’re stuck.” Cain snorted. “Your anger is impressive, but you lack control. Which is how I got you, and how I’ll get your sister.” He shifted his free hand back onto the sword, and pulled it up over his head for a bisecting cut. Yang shut her eyes and put as much energy as she could into her Aura and semblance as she held the hope she could block the swing. For barely a moment, there was no sound. Then she heard the sword swing. Silently, she apologized for failing to protect Ruby again. There was a crash of metal on metal, and the pain she expected never started. Her eyes flew open, and Noir stood before her. Blood dripped from his cheek, where the sword had grazed him. Cain’s eyes bulged in surprise, but the cat easily held the wolf’s sword at bay by locking it between his blades. The rings of dust faded, and Yang quickly shifted back into a combat stance to her ally’s left.

“Looks like I got here just in time.” Noir remarked, although he kept his attention on the wolf. Cain pulled his sword free from the grapple, although he didn’t seem too bothered by the new opponent.

“Ah, the guardian cat. You killed the Beowolves in the Snowy Forest, I believe. Used to the sensation of blood on your hands yet?” he taunted. Noir’s hands tightened around the hilts of his swords. 

“I don’t think Grimm count.” Yang remarked. Cain’s smirk slid back over his face.

“You mean they don’t know? You’ve lived amongst them for years, and yet you never told them about Amelia? About your revenge?” Noir reversed his grip on the swords.

“My past is my burden, not theirs. I saw him fall. I take the blame onto myself. Just as I take this one.”

“What the hell are you two guys talking about?” Yang interceded. She tensed the muscles in her back, and shifted through a few basic stances as a warm-up. Cain chuckled, a sound not far removed from his growl.

“It’s nothing important, Yang. Just history.” Noir’s attention stayed on the wolf as he brought his swords up a touch further. The back of the blades clinked into his bracers. He grunted as the gauntlets split open and accepted the weapons inside, a hybrid weapon trait. Yang just stared as he twitched a few times. The hilts of his falchion formed into proper armoured hands. The sharp blade reached his shoulder, and was joined to his forearm by a thick black metal gauntlet, with a large-chambered ballistics port on each wrist. Each bracer had the unique pattern of the sword sealed within, a red wave on his left-hand side, and a blue lightning pattern on his right. He shifted into a close combat stance, similar to Yang’s.

“What…. Noir, how did you…” Her eyes were locked onto the cat. She’d never seen this change. Aside for the obvious difference brought by the weapons, a few black sparks danced along his gauntleted fingers. His face was controlled, but he seemed tenser.

“Can’t let you guys have all the fun with cool weapons, can I?” he quipped. Cain simply snorted.

“Ah, a hybrid weapon design, not a common one at all. The boss warned me that taking Ruby from her friends would be a challenge. Let’s see if they were correct.” The wolf widened his stance. The sword danced through a small handful of spirals.

“Yang, attack him when you see an opening. I’ll deal with this.” Noir stepped forwards. He checked Yang was clear. With a deft flick of his neck, his sunglasses flew into the air and landed nearby. He gestured once to the wolf, a slight shrug in movement.

Cain lunged. In an instant, Noir was gone. He reappeared behind the wolf.

“Too slow,” he taunted. The wolf smirked.

“I’m just warming up.”  He followed the comment with a two-handed slash, but Noir deflected it with an arm-blade.  Cain followed up with a second slash. Noir dived to the side and rolled to a shooting position, unleashing a burst of Dust from his right wrist. Cain knocked it aside, and the ice formed across the trunk of a tree. Noir moved with the distraction, charging at the wolf. At the last second, he spun to face his right elbow-blade towards Cain, and fired the left-hand gun for momentum. Cain’s aura flared around his sword, and he slammed the attack to the side. Blood burst from Noir’s arm, but he stood back up in an instant. The black sparks doubled in intensity, while the teen’s face remained steady. Suddenly, Cain flinched forwards as a fist slammed into his spine. Behind him, Yang’s body was on autopilot, slamming impact after impact into his back. Each punch was joined by a burst from Ember Celica, but still the killer’s Aura held out. He spun, sword horizontal in a bisecting arc, but Noir suddenly appeared between the girl and the killing edge. His gauntlets crossed over each other, and he took the force of the impact across his arms. A torrent of blood gushed from each arm, but the Faunus stayed on his feet, no sign of pain across his face. Yang stumbled backwards. The blood surprised her.

“Last chance, wolf. Surrender, or I bring you down.” Mercy stayed out of Noir’s voice, even as the blood dripped from beneath the black steel gauntlets. Cain just snorted as he hauled himself to his feet.

“Why should I do that? If you want the truth about Amelia’s killer, then go back. The Cage of the Kings holds the answers you need, not me. Nothing either of you have done has stopped me so far. Why should I be afraid that you’ll defeat me?” The wolf’s molten gaze seemed almost amused at the concept. Noir simply took a step backwards, and lowered his arms from his chest.

“Yang, if this doesn’t work, it’s up to you.” She blinked, confused. Black sparks leapt from Noir’s arms like raindrops from a stormcloud. He was sheathed in dark lightning. He took two steps towards in a sudden dash, the same speed he’d shown in intercepting the attacks for her. Then he threw a punch. A thunderclap and explosion of darkness followed. Yang’s aura shielded her from the burst, but the tingling sparks stung her bare skin. As the light returned, she saw Noir’s form lying flat on the ground at the foot of a tree. Blood seeped from his metal-clad arms, a steady flow that seemed greater than before. Across the clearing, Cain was slumped against a tree, and for a moment, Yang was still. Noir’s breath was choppy and short. He was clearly unconscious. Then a groan emerged. For a second, Yang thought she saw Noir move, but far from it. Instead, Cain started to stand again.

“That runt… He’s dead.” His movements were slower, more deliberate. He was hunched in, and one arm was wrapped around his torso. It had taken all of Noir’s strength to wound the man, and even that wasn’t enough. She stood, and stood in front of the unconscious form of her friend. Cain didn’t even bother with his sword, he just charged. Suddenly, bullets began to slam into the wolf, and Ren leapt down from a branch nearby, raining small-calibre bullets into the wolf. An explosion knocked the wolf from his feet, and Nora slammed down beside Yang, Magnhild in hand.

“We heard something explode. Nora, help Yang. I’ll double-check Noir.” Ren shouted. Nora giggled and shifted her hammer back into grenade launcher form.

“Let’s do it!” she cheered. Yang was silent. Cain had tried to kidnap her sister. Tried to kill her. She looked down, and a few locks of her hair lay near Noir’s left arm. She saw red. Flames rippled into life around her hands, and she just walked towards Cain as he rolled himself backwards onto his feet. She cracked her knuckles. Nora just looked confused. She started to run. Cain smirked, obviously feeling this was no threat. Then she hit. Her explosive punch slammed into Cain’s collarbone with the force of a semi-trailer. He flew backwards, out of sight in moments. The flames died away, but Yang couldn’t feel satisfied. Something told her Cain would be back. He’d taken two hunters pushing their limits to defeat. She heard footsteps, and within a moment both Ruby and Blake had her wrapped in a hug, asking questions and such with she couldn’t quite process. Exhaustion slammed into her, wave after wave. Then she saw the burns. Her hand, even with her semblance and aura faded away, was red and tender to touch. The others were staring at Noir’s unconscious form. Tira’s staff was in hand, and moment by moment she pulled canisters and crystals of dust from within, stabilizing the young man. Finally, Yang’s mind caught up. The pain in her slammed into her mind, but she didn’t scream, just accepted a water-soaked strip of a picnic blanket and wrapped it around her hand.

“We were sold out,” she murmured, but she knew it wasn’t the time to talk about it. It could wait.


	11. The Next Step

_Forced by the darkness_

_Into the flame_

_Will I be lost_

_Or just stay the same?_

 “I have to stay in hospital for another day!? Seriously!?” Ruby exploded. Her eyes were fixed on Tira and left the girl stuck straight in the firing line of a silver glare.  Helpless, the medic shrugged.

“The doctors wouldn’t let me. They want you in for one final night’s observation. They want to make sure the fact you saw Cain won’t affect your sleep patterns.” With a growl of frustration, Ruby slumped back into the hospital chair, and allowed Tira to continue the tests.

“It’s not fair. Noir and Yang were both injured, and they get to sleep in their own rooms. I’m stuck in the hospital again.” The girl’s pout started to quiver, but Tira simply ignored it and kept her eyes on the checklist in her hand.

“Yang’s injuries were superficial. Minor contact burns on her knuckles, nothing that required major medical attention. Noir was unconscious for thirty minutes, and had lost a fair bit of blood, but he’s got a few little unique traits that make the injuries he sustained easy to treat without hospitalization.” The medic made a few small notes about the girl’s sudden tension, before continuing. “You, on the other hand, were unconscious for two days, with reasonable blood loss. On top of that, right now you’re showing the onset of an anxiety disorder rooted in your injuries from the Ursa and compounded by your battle with Cain.” Ruby shook her head. She couldn’t comprehend what the medic had said. Her aura flickered around her hands, as red as a newly-opened rose, but she couldn’t expand it past there as Tira laid a hand on the girl’s shoulders.

“I know you are going to be ok, Ruby, but right now, the doctors want to be sure that you aren’t suffering nightmares, that you are stable.” The long strands of copper hair that framed Tira’s face highlighted her gentle smile. “Ozpin’s organized for someone who’s been in your position to talk to you, starting as soon as the medics say you are ready, and they’ve said tomorrow.” The younger girl burst from her chair, and ignored the tears burning down her face as she stared at the healer.

“I don’t want special treatment! I just want to be a normal girl. Everyone’s treating me like a little kid. I can take care of myself!” Tira’s smile faded away, and she nodded once. The gesture sent a flick of copper around her face.

“I know, but at least humour Ozpin. You might be surprised what he’s organized for you. How about you head over to the dorms, so you can get some stuff together for tomorrow.” Tira raised the checklist, and pulled a face of mock frustration. “I’ve got to fill out these forms and convince the doctors that you’re ready to go tomorrow, but you come back before seven, alright?” The redhead nodded and slid from the examination room. Slowly, a grin spread across her face. It was only four o’clock, and she had until seven. It was time to start fixing her baby.

 *     *     *

It was not, Ozpin reasoned, the dirtiest dorm room he’d ever been in. There was a pile of books along the left-hand side of the desk, the walls held a couple of posters, and a pair of guitars lined the wall closest to the windows. Noir wasn’t the tidiest hunter, but he was by no means messy compared to some of his teammates.

“So… I presume you’re here to debrief me, Professor.” The cat lay atop his bed, eyes closed as if he had been asleep. His voice was flat, almost emotionless.

“That would be correct,” the elder man responded. “Are you in pain at all?”

The Faunus shrugged. “No more than the last time I split the scars.” The cat opened his eyes, but neither pain nor drowsiness entered his expression. Instead, frustration was the only emotion evident. “Of course, you aren’t really here about that, or to ask about how Cain fights. You must be after what he said to me. After all, you already know about him, don’t you?” Now his voice was coloured with an accusatory tone. Ozpin frowned slightly behind his mug, but kept his voice at the same even tone he had used before.

“You are correct. I know about Cain. It is unfortunate that he has targeted Miss Rose, although the idea of siding with the Dusk would appeal to him. He was a killer when I first heard of him.” Noir was silent. His eyes continued to bore a hole through the ceiling, so Ozpin continued. “I am surprised that you managed to fight him so directly. There are very few people who can claim to have fought him and survived.”

“He was going to kill Yang, wanted to take Ruby, and hinted that everything I believe about the events of Amelia’s death was a lie. I wasn’t going to hold back.” Noir grunted as he sat upright. The effort strained his arms, but he turned his head to face the professor. “You know the truth, don’t you?”  Ozpin held his voice back. There were three possible answers to that question, but only one that the cat wanted to hear, and it wasn’t the time for him to hear it. Noir growled slightly, but lay down again.

“I thought so,” he murmured, reading the truth in the professor’s silence. For a few moments, he simply lay there, and Ozpin could almost feel the teenaged faunus gathering his thoughts. Finally, the cat spoke again. “What do you know of the Cage of the Kings?” Ozpin sipped at his coffee, and prepared a response.

“It is a tomb, inset into the mountains that border Sunset Valley, where members of the royal family and noble houses were buried until soon after the end of the Faunus War.”

“That’s about as much as I know, to be honest, but Cain said ‘the Cage of the Kings holds the answers you need’. Either he’s talking about something tied to the war, or about…” the cat’s voice died away, leaving his final words unsaid.

“I understand. Perhaps a mission out there is in order.” Ozpin sat his mug atop the worn desk, and studied the cat.

“I need to be on the team.” Noir’s voice burst forward as the young man sat up. He winced slightly at the movement, but made no comment. “From experience, I’ll be at full fighting fitness in just two days, and I know the area better than most of the others.” That was an understatement, and both men knew it. Noir had lived in the valley for around a year, while most of the others would only be familiar with the name. Ozpin kept his gaze upon the cat.

“You want me to send Team Sentinel to the Sunset Valley?” Ozpin suggested, but the faunus shook his head.

“I was thinking more of a stealth-focused group. Sure, Sun and I have the ideals down, but Langford is only good at stealth over a long distance, and Tira hasn’t really got the hang of it.” The cat remarked. “I was leaning towards a specialized, hand-picked team. Blake Belladonna and Lie Ren come to mind.” Ozpin nodded slowly, and met the cat’s gaze with one of his own.

“I will have to think about it, but there will be a briefing in two days. You had better look into the history of the Cage of the Kings.” The faunus’s eyes lit up.

“You mean I’m going?” The professor smiled faintly.

“We shall see. But, even if you don’t, I would like you to brief the team on the terrain.” Noir nodded.

“I’ll see Professor Oobleck this afternoon for some assistance on that. Thank you, Professor.” As the elder man stood to walk out, he picked up his coffee mug.

“Oh, and one last thing, Mister Storia: The newest member of the Beacon staff has asked to see you in the armoury when you are ready.” Ozpin’s voice held an audible smile. “I believe he said something about wishing to examine your weapons for damage.” Noir rolled his eyes.

“Of course he did. I’ll see him in half an hour or so.” The black-clad teen swung his legs off the side of the bed, and flicked the clasps from his bandages. “I’ve got to change my bands before I do anything else.” Indeed, Ozpin saw dried blood stained around the metallic strips along the teen’s arms, but he walked out with the same even smile. That was the easier interview. The hard one was underway. Not because of the interviewee, but more the other interviewer.

 *     *     *

The blonde sat completely still, her back pressed against the cushioned backing of the wooden chair as she cowered before the huntress’s rage.

“Who gave you permission to hold a party in Forever Fall? That forest is still being regularly patrolled for Grim infestations and now the presence of Dusk soldiers.” Glynda Goodwitch kept her eyes locked on Yang’s. Her tone was a brutal weight against Yang’s ample chest, and the girl couldn’t suppress a shiver. Annoyed even further with the young woman’s silence, the Huntress slapped her riding crop into the table, which produced an involuntary “eep” from her interrogation subject.

“N-nobody did, Miss Goodwitch. I thought that it would help Ruby‘s morale, since she was injured, and so we just went out,” she blurted. Glynda sighed.

“Miss Xiao Long, you understood that Forever Fall and the Emerald Forest are both restricted areas, and yet you flaunted the rules.” The Huntress wasn’t holding back, and she kept both of her eyes locked on the teenager. “What’s worse is you attacked a known criminal with no intention to capture or restrain, but to ‘avenge your sister’. Do you understand what kind of risks you took there? And think about your teammates. What kind of situation did you put them in?”

Yang stopped squirming, and scowled at the interrogating huntress. “I was brought up to protect my sister, no matter what. When she identified Cain, I wasn’t going to let him escape and endanger her again.”

“And in the process, you endangered everyone that accompanied you! You are aware we managed to recover twenty unconscious Dusk soldiers when we extracted your friends, and they had no information of use other than orders to capture “Red”, which we understand to be your sister.” Glynda slapped her crop against the desktop again. “Aside for endangering her in multiple ways, let’s look at the injuries. Noir lost a number of litres of blood and suffered a minor concussion from the feedback of his semblance...”

“He’ll be fine! Tira told us that he’s suffered similar injuries before!” Yang looked to be on the verge of tears. Her eyes were watery, and her bandaged hands seemed tenser than before. Glynda looked at the slight movement, and seemed to soften her approach.

“And then we reach your injuries. Cain managed to burn your hands through your own fire-based semblance, and it will be a few days before the doctors are comfortable that there is no lasting damage.” The huntress sat in the plush, comfortable chair behind the desk, her one concession to comfort in her typically spartan office, and sighed. “Miss Xiao Long, if you had been on active duty, I would have requested you face court-martial, or at least a sentence decided by the coalition’s leadership. But, I’ve been requested to leave your punishment up to Professor Ozpin, who will be here shortly.” Yang shifted, clearly uncomfortable. The door creaked as it opened, and the girl jumped in fright.

“Miss Xiao Long.” The voice was warm compared to the frigid tones Glynda still carried as the man walked in, a fresh mug of coffee clamped in his right hand.

“Professor,” the girl replied, her head bowed to hide the blush across her cheeks.

“You seem to be concerned about my upcoming judgement.” Yang nodded at the professor’s words, but as she turned to face him, she saw a gentle smile on his face.

“You shouldn’t be. Your punishment is to assist the Vale Police Force for two weeks, after the medics certify you for combat.” Glynda’s head dropped down into her hands, while Yang’s shot up like they were connected by a see-saw. Ozpin simply sipped at his mug, savouring the contents.

“You… I’m going to be a police officer?” The teen stammered. Her eyes were wide, with the barest hints of excitement appearing on her face.

“That is what I said, isn’t it?” Ozpin replied, and with that, delight spread over the blonde’s face.

“I won’t let you down, Professor!” Yang stood and dashed from the room without waiting for permission to leave. Glynda slumped in her chair, and glared up at her superior.

“Do you always have to reward the troublemakers?” she spat. Ozpin simply had an enigmatic smile as he continued to enjoy the contents of his mug.

“Remember why you became my secretary?” he replied. As expected, she stayed away from that topic.

“Still, I feel sorry for her sister. All the bad luck she’s having… are you certain that this idea of yours will help her regain her confidence?” she asked. Ozpin simply smiled into his coffee.

“I can say with complete certainty that she will be surprised, nothing more,” he responded.

 *     *     *

It was almost like a second home. Benchtops filled with components, and storage shelves laden with weapons being built and repaired. The faunus smiled broadly. It’d been too long since his last time in Beacon. Gingerly, he ran his hands through his messy black hair in an attempt to keep busy as he waited. His long jacket was the same colour as his hair, with his thick gray and white tail protruding through a slit at the back. Other than that, he was dressed like an average young adult - black t-shirt with his jagged crescent emblem, blue jeans and comfortable skate shoes. A sword hung from his belt. Finally, he unleashed a bored sigh. His hands dove into his jacket pockets to withdraw a folding scroll. A few quick pulls and it unfurled to its full size, the same as a standard piece of paper. He flicked through a few saved weapon designs and examined the details. Then he set it aside as the allure of examining unique weapons caught him.

 The first set seemed like a pair of curved daggers. He studied them thoughtfully, but didn’t touch them. The next weapon to catch his eye was twice the size of the two daggers combined – a red and black rifle. Aspects of the design seemed familiar to him, so he lifted the firearm. The first thing he noted was the weight – it was far lighter than it looked; an impressive feat of engineering for a student’s weapon. His fingers brushed against a switch. Stunned, he could do nothing as the weapon unfurled into a long scythe of the same colours.

“It’s been too long,” he murmured as he examined the weapon. Almost immediately, he noticed a few factors. The weapon could be fired while in this melee form. That concerned him. The light-weight construction hinted at a lack of expanding recoil dampers. If he had to bet, the scythle could throw it’s wielder around like a ragdoll. The next factor was the damaged blade. The piece of steel that formed the curved killing edge had formed into globules of metal from heat exposure. It explained why the weapon was in the armoury, but did it…

“What the hell?!” The faunus spun around at the outburst, the scythe still in hand, and found himself face to face with a short redheaded girl in a red cloak. Her eyes were wide, but her face quickly contorted in rage. “Who gave you the right to touch my sweetheart?” The man opened his mouth to explain, but it was no use.

Ruby lunged.


	12. Decisions; Decisions

_He dares touch my sweetheart?  
He gets no mercy._

Ruby’s world shrunk down to the man holding her scythe. Nothing else mattered to her at that moment. One hand cocked back into a punch, but it never collided with his chest like she planned. Ice surrounded the man’s body from an angle she couldn’t see. Her hand slammed into the frozen wall. The man winced in sympathy as her knuckles reddened. Ruby lifted her head and stared into the ice to catch sight of a faint white ripple over her shoulder.

“Come on, Weiss! He’s got Crescent Rose! Let me hurt him!” she pleaded as she shook out her hand.

“Ruby…” the other girl’s footsteps were soft against the floor as she approached. With one hand she none-too-gently yanked Ruby backwards, away from the entrapped man. “Let me deal with him.” The faunus grimaced as Weiss pointed the tip of Myrtenaster towards his chest.

“If I had known examining a weapon was going to get me in this kind of trouble, I would have never taken this job,” he growled. The heiress shoved the tip of her rapier a little closer, and flicked through the dust chambers until she had it set to red.

“What job is this?” she pressed. His sedate gray eyes met her frosty gaze, but the voice that answered came from the doorway once again.

“Miss Schnee! Miss Rose! What are you doing to our new weapons design instructor?” The voice wasn’t the sedate tones of Professor Ozpin, but the proud voice of Peter Port.  The Faunus sighed.

“He touched my scythe without permission. We’re teaching him not to touch other people’s weaponry.” Ruby retorted. Port chuckled.

“Why, Miss Rose, Kieran would never intentionally damage or sabotage another person’s weapon! Make unauthorized improvements, perhaps, but never intentionally cause damage!”

“How good of you to support me, Peter,” the man in the ice replied dryly, “But telling them that isn’t going to help.” He shuddered and looked up from Weiss’s face to stare at the gray-haired teacher. “Did you come in here for a reason?”

“Only to offer some assistance, but you seem to have things under control. Carry on!” With that, the man left. Kieran rolled his eyes.

“He hasn’t changed a bit. Anyway, I’m Kieran Argentum, and as Professor Port just said, I’m the new weapons design and maintenance instructor.” He shifted his weight around slightly in the ice. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to be defrosted so I can put the scythe down and explain.” Weiss snorted, and tapped the tip of her rapier against the frozen restraint. With the slightest cracking noise, the frost shattered, and Kieran stood flat on his feet once again. “Thanks,” he grunted. With cautious motions, he flicked the switch to convert Crescent Rose back into its rifle form and set it on the bench top. The second he stepped away, Ruby filled the space he left and cradled the weapon in her arms as the faunus walked over to a stool.

“Well, where should I start?” he asked.

Ruby’s response was instant, and she raised her head away from whispering to her scythe to ask. “Why do you feel entitled to handle other people’s weaponry?”

“I’ll explain through what I have with me.” He grasped the large Scroll from the workbench where it sat, and pressed a pair of buttons. In an instant, a holographic projection emerged before the girls, with the display a weapons blueprint. Ruby raised her eyebrow as the next design flickered up on a slow slideshow.

“I’ve seen these before, in Weapons Illustrated. That’s from Issue 96, the silencer-bayonet,” she noted, with a gesture at the floating display. Weiss scowled.

“Did you just download these? I know they’re free use, but how is this supposed to tell us who you are?”  she snapped. Kieran rolled his eyes.

“She recognized the designs, but none of those were the published variations. There are minor details missing from each one, but eh, I guess there’s nothing to prove my identity here,” he retorted. His right hand slid inside his jacket. Ruby’s eyes were fixated on the hologram, but the Schnee heiress wasn’t distracted from the man. The point of Myrtenaster was instantly touching his Adam’s apple. A black object slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor as the designer locked eyes with his assailant.

“Go ahead, Kieran. Make this day even worse.” He just stared her in the eyes, but a pale hand took the decision from her as it jerked her arm backwards. Ruby’s right hand clamped down on the sword before Weiss could stab the man in reflex. Her left hand held the chunk of black plastic that he’d dropped, and Ruby’s face was simply filled with shock as she moved between the pair.

“Weiss… I just… This isn’t possible…” Weiss scowled, but Ruby shifted her gaze to Kieran and pressed the object onto his face. Instantly, the upper-half was obscured with a familiar shape; a mask, painted to resemble black stone. The wry smile that the man put on was instantly recognizable. Myrtenaster clattered to the ground.

“Obsidian…” Her hand twitched slightly as she stared at him. Obsidian was a legend. A one-time Beacon student, he’d been critically injured by a giant variety of Ursa eight years before and had washed out due to those wounds. After that, however, he spontaneously emerged as a writer for Weapons Illustrated with a cult following towards both his designs and the videos he regularly released talking about design, maintenance and the combat forms of almost any weapon from behind a mask identical to the one that Kieran carried. Ruby followed his developments almost religiously. The faunus chuckled, amused by the response, but the eyes behind the mask tore into Weiss in frustration.

“She gets it. I’m sorry for all the mystery, but I’d rather not have everyone suddenly mentioning that I’m working here. Anyway, Ozpin asked me to…” he stopped and turned his head slightly, his mouth tilting into a confused smile. “Uh, where’d she go?” Weiss blinked, and a groan slipped from her throat. In the span of two seconds, Ruby had vanished into flower petals. She turned back to Kieran to explain, but a sudden _thud_ removed the need. Ruby was back in the doorway of the room, her arms wrapped around a magazine.

“Can I get your autograph?” she squealed. The faunus smiled, and nodded. To his surprise, it was the first issue he’d written in.

“Anyway, Ozpin asked me to talk to you about your injuries, but he also suggested I mentor you,” he explained, the black pen scrawling the familiar signature. Weiss scratched her head.

“I thought you were so badly injured, you couldn’t be a hunter any more. What could you mentor Ruby in?” the heiress prompted.

Kieran snorted. “I’m a weapon designer, and a weapons master. Just because I don’t fight monsters doesn’t mean I can’t fight. I’m going to teach her how to design, repair, and use almost any weapon she wants.”

“Even if she wants to improve her skill with the scythe?” Even with the acid in her voice, Weiss found her remark simply shrugged off.

“Yes, even then. I’m not rated to use one in combat anymore, but I can use one to demonstrate at least. If I need to help Ruby with her scythe work, though, I’ll just put out a call. I’m pretty sure I’ve got contacts with advice that can help her improve.”

“So, where do we start?” Ruby placed the magazine to one side and hopped up onto a stool opposite the designer, Crescent Rose once again firmly in her hands. “Ooh, can we start with your designs for the railaxe? I want to see first-hand how much damage it can do!” In response, Kieran sighed and pulled his mask off.

“We don’t start any time soon, Ruby.  First, you need to lose the cast. We’re not starting while the doctors are concerned about your arm.”

“But …”

“Then, I’ll need you to do some tests. Strength, knowledge of design, materials and Dust, and of course what skills you already have.” The faunus was counting off his fingers, marking off the different things Ruby needed to do as the girl looked more and more distraught. Weiss could only barely hide a smile at Ruby’s disappointed face, but Kieran didn’t seem to be paying attention. “Before you ask, I have watched your Vytal Festival performances, but they only show me what you used to be able to do. Not what you are capable of now.”

“But …”

“Finally, once you’ve done all that, then we can start your training with light design and construction work, as well as repairs to your scythe.”

“But …” Finally, the faunus took note of the girl’s downcast expression, and a faint chuckle rippled from his throat. As the girl glared at him, he gestured defensively.

“Ruby, I would have needed you to do the tests anyway. The delay about the arm is me trying to protect you. How do you think I would feel if I had you doing too much work, and you damaged your arm to the point where it stopped working? Say, you tore a tendon in your shoulder and lost full movement range. You’d never be able to wield a scythe again.” Another remark passed under his breath, and for the briefest moment he seemed depressed. Then, it passed. “However, I’ve set you up with some little things, before everything starts. It’s book work, so boring stuff, but …”

“I’ll do it!” Ruby cheered. All the instructor could do was shake his head, amused.

“Well, I don’t know how interesting you’ll find it. I want you to go talk to Doctor Oobleck, and get his help in reading about weapon designs and notable fighters in history, going back as far as the war. Its interesting stuff, at least I think so. More importantly, you need to learn from yesterday if you plan to innovate tomorrow.” Ruby felt her body slump. Book work? Weapons in history?  Kieran chuckled again. “Don’t worry; you don’t need to write an essay. I hate assignments like that. Just think about what you read, and keep it in mind.”

“Alright … I’ll do it. Thanks, Obsidian.” With a slow, practiced movement, Ruby shifted the weight of the rifle to her good arm, and brought it to her mouth to whisper a _goodnight, sweetheart_ to the gun. With the same methodical movement, she placed Crescent Rose back on the bench, and walked out the door. Weiss snorted, and turned her attention back onto the faunus. He raised an eyebrow, but gestured for her to proceed.

“I don’t know who you think you are, but I’ll let you in on one thing. If Ruby gets hurt in your training, then you’ll have to deal with me.” Kieran laughed.

“Pretty sure her uncle, father and sister would be on top of that list, but I’ll remember that.” The faunus slid from his seat, and smiled at the heiress. “You don’t need to be so protective, she’ll be fine. Trust me.” A beeping noise rang through the room. Kieran froze and turned to stare at the holographic projection from his Scroll. “I won’t be, though. I’m late!” Before Weiss could react, Kieran’s scroll was in his hands being folded down to a smaller size, and without even a farewell, he was out the door. Weiss rolled her eyes, and followed the racing faunus out the door. If Ruby was studying, maybe she could help there.

*     *     *

The library was quieter than usual. Even with the frequent rush of a green blur depositing mountains of books on the desk; Noir had to savour the moment. It wasn’t often that he got to enjoy quiet.

“Ah yes, will that be all Mister Storia?” Doctor Oobleck’s staccato query snapped into the young cat’s thoughts. Gingerly, he nodded.

“I think so. I just came in here for a few maps, though.” Noir gestured to the piles of atlases and history textbooks stacked in front of him. “This is overkill.”

“Nonsense! Knowing the history of the region could proof necessary for your mission.” Oobleck seemed to bounce from foot to foot, and Noir could only roll his eyes. “After all, those who do not learn from history …”

“Are doomed to repeat it, I know.” The cat sighed, and raised his eyes to the nearest bookshelf, as if hoping that the contents would spirit him away. While he remained firm in his seat, one of his ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Hello? Doctor Oobleck? Are you in here?” Instantly, Oobleck blurred as he moved to find the girl calling for him. Noir smiled faintly and set aside the heavy history textbook he had on his lap as he shifted his focus to a map. In seconds, his mind was cast backwards to his days living in Sunset Valley, and a faint smile crossed his face as the memories took hold.

“I’m coming back, Ame. Soon, I’ll be home,” he whispered.

“Oh? Where are you going, Noir? And who’s Ame?” Noir’s head flew up from his daydream, only to find a set of silver eyes with a confused look staring back at him. Ruby smiled faintly at him, but the faunus simply tensed up as if cornered by the huntress sitting across from him.

“Don’t worry about it, Ruby, it’s nothing important.” The girl didn’t look convinced, but Noir continued onwards. “What brings you out to the library, anyway?”

“Homework.” All it took was the one word for Noir to raise an eyebrow in suspicion.

“Like I’d believe that, Ruby. We’ve graduated. No more classes. No more homework. So, why the library? Are you really that bored?” With that, Noir returned his eyes to the map. The young huntress scowled at his disinterested tone. 

“I could ask you the same thing, Noir. What’s with the map and history books? Don’t tell me you’ve got a real urge to read about the history of …” her voice died away as she scanned the books and map. The name seemed familiar, but she wasn’t quite sure why. “The Veil of the Rose? Where is that?”

“You’d probably know it better as the Sunset Valley.” With his head lowered, the cat’s voice was muted more than usual. He sounded almost sad. “I lived there a couple of years ago, so Ozpin asked me to help with a basic mission plan. Common types of Grimm, any groups that would have joined the Dusk that I know about. That kind of junk.”  He sighed, and gently tapped the map. “It’s nothing too exciting, especially since all I needed was the map. Oobleck got it into his head that I need to read up on the history of the place.”

“It’s Doctor Oobleck to you, Mister Storia. You should still read up on the history, as there may be important information about the Cage of the Kings held within.” The doctor seemed to emerge from nowhere, and offered Ruby a faint smile. “Ah, Miss Rose. I take it you are here for your research assignment?”

“Research assignment?” The faunus scowled and raised his head from the map once more. “What research assignment?”

Ruby blushed. “Well, there’s a new weapons design teacher here at Beacon, and Ozpin asked him to run me through some masterclass stuff. I have to start with background reading. He wants me to read up on weapons and notable fighters. Something about learning from yesterday to innovate tomorrow, along those lines.” The girl lowered her head. “It doesn’t sound very interesting, to be honest, but I’m bored. Off active duty, so I can’t get missions. Yang’s got some kind of punishment, Blake and Sun are doing couple things, Weiss is Weiss, and Jaune’s only just left hospital. Pyrrha’s starting to help him get back his strength, so I’d just be in the way with my cast.” She sighed, and stared at the tabletop. “I need something to do, even if it’s just reading old books.”

Noir nodded, and shifted lightly. His hands grasped a textbook from the stack of books, and set it on the table before flipping to the contents page, as the history teacher vanished once more into a green blur. “Tell me about it. Being taken off duty is a pain, but you have to humour them.” He flicked his way through the book, before stopping at a photograph of an old, ruined doorway into a cliff. “That’s the Cage of the Kings. It’s a tomb in the Sunset Valley, out of the safe zones, in Grimm infested forest. According to these books, it was the final resting place for royalty from the Kingdom of Vale for generations. And yet Cain told me that there were answers about …” his voice died away, and he seemed to shrink into the chair, shying further away from Ruby’s silver stare. “Answers about something I have to know. Because he’s a member of the Dusk, Ozpin thinks that it might be helpful to the war.” The cat’s hands flicked forward through the book without thinking, passing over an intricate painting of a brown-haired woman as he flicked forward. Ruby’s eyes widened. Something about the woman’s face seemed familiar.

“Wait. Noir, go back to that painting.” The cat raised an eyebrow, and slowly turned pages back to the image as the girl walked around to stand next to him. She felt her heartbeat pick up. The woman’s hair was longer than her dream, with a long, intricate braid sitting in her lap as she posed elegantly for the artist. She was dressed simply, with a long black dress worn with cream sleeves. She had a polite smile on her face, which was reflected by the almost sad glint in her silver eyes. She rested a hand against the image, and bit her lip simply.

“Huh … Juliet Rose.” The cat’s voice was faint in her ear, background noise that barely slipped past her beating heart. “It says she was a general of the armies of Vale and Duchess of the Sunset Valley. That explains the nickname of the Sunset Valley as the Vail of the Rose.” He sounded perplexed. “Is she an ancestor of yours, Ruby?”

“Maybe …” A rapid tapping rose to her attention, but when it stopped with a whoosh, she guessed the cause. “Doctor Oobleck, can I borrow this book for a few days? It might help with the readings about famous fighters I was asked to do.” She finally tore her eyes away from the painting, and winced when she caught sight of the teacher. He had a small mountain of books in his hands. The titles she could see were all related to weapon design, some of the material Kieran wanted her to look at. More books than she could read in a week. She shuddered slightly, but smiled at the man.

“Well, if Mister Storia is finished with it, then I see no reason why you cannot add it to your reading material.” He placed the tower of paper on top of a nearby table. “Now, let me find you materials specifically on fighters.” He vanished again, leaving the two young trainees once more. Noir grasped the book at that page, and shook his head.

“It’s overkill, of course, but Oobleck means well. Enjoy it, Ruby.” The faunus slid over in his seat, and placed it onto the other table. “Hope that book helps with your project, because it didn’t help on my mission plan.” He sighed again, and settled back in to studying the map. Ruby nodded, and gently rested a hand against the book once more, a faint smile across her face.

It was time to learn more about her family’s past.

 


End file.
